Giant-Alpecin targeting stage wins at Giro d'Italia

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Giant-Alpecin has announced the team that will support Tom Dumoulin in the Giro d'Italia. The German squad will not have GC ambitions but look to the time trials, sprints and breakaways.

Dumoulin’s first participation in the race was announced last week.“I am really looking forward to the Giro d’Italia this year,” he said in a team press release. “It will be my first Giro and with the start in The Netherlands, it is going to be extra special.

“I think it is going to be a fantastic race to participate in. I will be focusing primarily on the time trials, as they provide a greater opportunity for success.”

Niklas Arndt will be the team’s man for the sprints, while Chad Haga, Tobias Ludvigsson and Georg Preidler will go for stage wins in breakaway groups. The squad will be rounded out by Bert de Backer, Cheng Ji, Tom Stamsnijder and Albert Timmer.

“Our target is to go for a stage victory. We’ll have different opportunities in the time trials and the sprint stages,” said coach Marc Reef. “On top of that, we will apply an offensive strategy to aim for stage results from possible breakaways that survive until the finish.”

Giant-Alpecin for the 2016 Giro d'Italia: Niklas Arndt, Bert de Backer, Tom Dumoulin, Chad Haga, Cheng Ji, Tobias Ludvigsson, Georg Preidler, Tom Stamsnijder and Albert Timmer.