After four years away from the race, Mads Pedersen is making a return to the Giro d'Italia next May.
The former world champion has added his name to an already star-studded start list, with current world champion Remco Evenepoel set to be joined at the start in Abruzzo by Geraint Thomas, Thibaut Pinot, Jack Haig, Aleksandr Vlasov and João Almeida.
Speaking in a video message released by his Trek-Segafredo team, Pedersen confirmed his participation in the first Grand Tour of the season. He noted that he hopes to complete his Grand Tour stage win set – he'd be the 105th rider to win one at all three races.
"Hey everyone, I'm super excited to tell you that I'm going to do the Giro d'Italia next year," Pedersen said. "After a stage win in the Tour and a few in the Vuelta, I'm aiming for one more in the Giro, so see you in Italy."
Pedersen won the first Grand Tour stages of his career this season, winning from the breakaway in Saint-Etienne at the Tour de France before racking up three stage wins and the points jersey at the Vuelta a España following a string of three second places early in the race.
It remains to be seen which sprinters he'll be facing off against at the Giro. 2022 points classification winner Arnaud Démare hasn't confirmed if he will race in Italy or head to the Tour de France, while stage 3 winner Mark Cavendish is currently without a confirmed contract for next season.
Stage 11 winner Alberto Dainese (Team DSM) is likely to make a return, while fellow stage winners Mathieu van der Poel and Biniam Girmay are likely to focus on the Tour.
Pedersen hasn't yet revealed his plans for the remainder of the 2023 season, though he'll be taking on the full spring Classics calendar, including the Monuments of Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, the latter coming just a month before the Giro kicks off and thus presenting a challenge in terms of managing form.
His fellow Trek-Segafredo Classics contender Jasper Stuyven is also set to take on the Giro, though the team hasn't confirmed the rest of their roster for the May race.
