Movistar name 11 riders for Giro d'Italia squad

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The Movistar team has revealed a shortlist off 11 riders for the Giro d’Italia with the final nine riders to be confirmed after the Tour de Romandie and the Vuelta a Asturias race in Spain.

The Giro d’Italia starts in Apeldoorn, in the Netherlands, on 6 May and so is just three weeks away.

Alejandro Valverde will lead the Movistar team for the Giro d’Italia before going on to support Nairo Quintana at the Tour de France. Also on the shortlist are Andrey Amador - who finished fourth in the 2015 Giro d'Italia, Giovanni Visconti, Alex Dowsett, Jasha Sütterlin, Rory Sutherland, Antonio Pedrero, José Joaquín Rojas, José Herrada, Javi Moreno and Rubén Fernández. There is no place for Carlos Betancur, who joined Movistar after a difficult season where he struggled to find any form while at Ag2r-La Mondiale.

Dowsett is hoping to secure a final place in the Movistar and so target the time trial in the Chianti wine region of Tuscany on stage nine. The Briton won the time trial stage of the Giro d’Italia in 2013 ahead of Bradley Wiggins and Vincenzo Nibali. Visconti will likely target a road stage after winning the recent Klasika Primavera de Amorebieta and Rojas will no doubt go for the sprint finishes. However, the team’s main focus will be to offer strong support to Valverde as he looks to win the second Grand Tour of his long career.

Movistar long list for Giro d’Italia: Alejandro Valverde, Alex Dowsett, Andrey Amador, Giovanni Visconti, Jasha Sutterlin, Rory Sutherland, Antonio Pedrero, Jose Joaquin Rojas, Jesus Herrada, Javi Moreno, Ruben Fernandez.