Adam Hansen's remarkable Grand Tour record will continue at the 2018 Giro d'Italia as he takes to the start line for his 20th consecutive three week race.
In a remarkable feat of endurance, the Australian has ridden and completed every Grand Tour since the 2011 Vuelta a España picking up two stage wins along the way, and Lotto-Soudal sports director Bart Leysen certainly sees more opportunities for Hansen at the 2018 Giro.
"Adam Hansen has had a good preparation for his 20th consecutive Grand Tour. In the beginning of the season he didn’t perform as we had expected, but the past weeks he got himself ready for the Giro. Many eyes will be on him," Leysen said.
"I definitely see opportunities for him to attack, such as the first two stages on Sicily, but he will also play an important role in support of Jens Debusschere in the sprint stages."
Hansen's incredibly Grand Tour came close to coming to an end at last year's Vuelta a España when he was not named in Lotto-Soudal's squad for the race. However a training crash for Rafael Valls just a few days before the race saw Hansen brought back into the line-up to continue his run.
Watch: Giro d'Italia 2018 key stages
Lotto-Soudal will travel to the Giro, which starts with a time trial in Jerusalem on May 4, with a diverse line-up and a mixture of objectives.
Tim Wellens has enjoyed a strong start to the season and will likely be targetting stage wins as well as possible tilt at a top 10 in the general classification, while European time trial champion Victor Campenaerts will have his eye on the opening stage in Jerusalem and the longer time trial on stage 16.
Meanwhile Jens Debusschere will be hopeful of competing in the bunch sprints in a sprinting field which is lacking in strength, while the line-up is completed by Tosh Van der Sande, Sander Armée, Lars Bak, and Frederick Frison who will be making his Grand Tour debut.
Lotto-Soudal team for the 2018 Giro d'Italia
Sander Armée (Bel)
Lars Bak (Den)
Victor Campenaerts (Bel)
Jens Debusschere (Bel)
Frederik Frison (Bel)
Adam Hansen (Aus)
Tosh Van der Sande (Bel)
Tim Wellens (Bel)
