Contador, Aru, Porte, Uran arrive to the Ligurian coast
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Astana's key riders for the Giro d'Italia (Image credit: Sirotti)
Rigoberto Urán and Tom Boonen talk to the press (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Rigoberto Uran and Tom Boonen next to the Giro d'Italia trophy (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The fountains have been dyed pink in honour of the Giro. (Image credit: OPQS/Tim de Waele)
The Tinkoff-Saxo bikes get a clean after a morning training ride (Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Steven de Jongh is lead DS for Tinkoff-Saxo at the Giro (Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Rigoberto Urán has come close to winning the trophy, can he do it this year? (Image credit: OPQS/Tim de Waele)
Tom Boonen says he will be working for his teammate Uran (Image credit: OPQS/Tim de Waele)
Rigoberto Urán and Tom Boonen (Image credit: OPQS/Tim de Waele)
Alberto Contador surrounded by microphones (Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Alberto Contador talks to the press (Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
The Tinkoff-Saxo mechanics prepare the bikes ahead of the Giro d'Italia start (Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Alberto Contador will be looking to lay his hands on this trophy again (Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Alberto Contador talks at his pre-race press conference (Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Astana's time trial bikes lined up and ready for action on Saturday (Image credit: Sirotti)
The Lampre-Merida team for the Giro d'Italia (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Lampre's Giro debutants Gang Xu and Tsgabu Grmay (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Robert Ferrari with Giuseppe Saronni (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Team manager Brent Copeland (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Who will add their name this year? (Image credit: Sirotti)
Jurgen Van Den Broeck makes his return to the Giro d'Italia (Image credit: Sirotti)
Andre Greipel is looking for stage victories at the Giro (Image credit: Sirotti)
Andre Greipel and Jurgen Van Den Broeck at the Lotto-Soudal press conference (Image credit: Sirotti)
The team time trial will finish in San Remo (Image credit: Sirotti)
Mikel Landa will provide suppport for Aru at the Giro (Image credit: Sirotti)
Fabio Aru leads Astana's GC ambitions (Image credit: Sirotti)
Will Fabio Aru be able to lay his hands on this trophy (Image credit: Sirotti)
The trophy all the riders want (Image credit: Sirotti)
Fabio Aru won't be riding this on Saturday (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The Giro d’Italia peloton has descended on the Ligurian coast in preparation for the start of the race and the team time trial this Saturday. Some of the teams have already had reconnoitred the 17.6-kilometre course from San Lorenzo al Mare to San Remo and will get one final look at it on Saturday morning.
Astana, Lampre-Merida and Lotto-Soudal all held their pre-race press conferences in San Remo on Thursday. Fabio Aru was in attendance for Astana, his first public appearance since pulling out of the Giro del Trentino with intestinal problems. Aru, who finished third overall during last year’s race, announced during the press conference that he had extended his contract with the team until the end of 2017.
Lotto-Soudal bring André Greipel and Jürgen Van Den Broeck to the Giro d’Italia, with both riders returning after an extended absence. Van Den Broeck has said that he’s targeting the top 10 at the race, while Greipel is looking to boost his win tally for 2015. Former Chinese road champion Gang Xu and African time trial champion Tsgabu Grmay will make their debut at the race for Lampre-Merida.
Etixx-QuickStep, Tinkoff-Saxo and Team Sky will be holding their press conferences on Friday afternoon with the team presentation taking place at 17:00 CET.
