Jakob Piil rides Giro

After having his spring season more or less spoiled by a crash in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, Danish rider Jakob Piil has now been selected for Team CSC's line-up in this year's Giro d'Italia. Piil will play an important role in the Italian stage race, assisting team leader Ivan Basso, who is aiming for the overall victory. At the same time Jakob Piil is hoping for a stage win in the race, which begins in Reggio Calabria on Sunday May 8 and ends three weeks later in Milan.

"Jakob will be a key asset to the team during the Giro. He has lots of experience, and will be able to go for stage victories as well, should the opportunity arise. His spring season didn't turn out the way he wanted it to, but with the Giro coming up on his schedule, he now has a big goal ahead of him," said Bjarne Riis on the team's website, team-csc.com.

"I've had the thought for a while, and as it turned out, both Basso and Bjarne were keen on the idea of me riding the Giro, so it wasn't a difficult decision for me," Piil said. "I spoke to Ivan during Tirreno-Adriatico and I sensed that he really wanted me in the Giro line-up, so I'm of course very motivated to help him win the race. I think this is the perfect solution for me, since I haven't been able to focus 100 percent on the April classics. According to my race schedule, I'll still do some of the classics, but then I'll take a short break after that. I'm usually in very good shape during May, and I'm very much looking forward to riding the Giro d'Italia."