With only two weeks until the start of the Giro d'Italia, it's only customary that rumours emerge concerning the make-up of the squads set to support the contenders in the race for the maglia rosa.
Egan Bernal will be looking to add to his Tour de France yellow jersey with victory over three weeks in Italy, and Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport has the seven names it believes are heading to the first Grand Tour of the season for Ineos Grenadiers.
Three Colombians, including Bernal, are listed in the eight-man squad, as Ivan Sosa prepares for his second Giro, his debut Grand Tour in 2019 before riding the Vuelta last year, while Dani Martínez will be riding his first three-week stage race for the British squad, having signed from EF ahead of the 2021 season.
Three of the four Italians on Ineos' books will ride their home Grand Tour, as Filippo Ganna is slated to be returning for his second Giro appearance, having won four stages at his debut Grand Tour in 2020, the 2021 edition book-ended with time trials that the world champion would be hoping to win.
>>> Chris Froome says he is ‘slowly improving’ after testing legs in breakaway at Tour of the Alps
Gianni Moscon and Salvatore Puccio are supposedly set to play domestique for Bernal, as will Jonathan Castroviejo and the talented young Russian Pavel Sivakov, who finished ninth overall at the 2019 Giro.
Defending champion Tao Geoghegan Hart will ride this summer's Tour de France in lieu of attempting to retain his title, but runner-up Jai Hindley will be on the start line in Turin alongside new team-mate Romain Bardet.
Simon Yates (BikeExchange) is another contender for the overall, while Bernal will likely also face stiff competition from the likes of Marc Soler (Movistar), Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe), Hugh Carthy (EF-Nippo), Aleksandr Vlasov (Astana) and Mikel Landa (Bahrain-McLaren).
One rider who will no longer be on the start line is Thibaut Pinot, Eurosport reporting the French climber is still suffering from back pain, despite undergoing surgery, which dogged his 2020 season.
-
-
Tony Martin announces retirement from professional cycling
The German still has a year left on his contract with Jumbo-Visma but will call time on his career after this week's Flanders World Championships
By Jonny Long •
-
Road World Championships 2021: men’s elite individual time trial start list and times
The start times of riders taking part in the elite men's individual time trial at the 2021 UCI Road World Championships in Flanders
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Egan Bernal tests positive for Covid-19 days after Giro d’Italia victory
The Colombian star had been scheduled to return home after winning the Giro but will now self-isolate in Europe
By Alex Ballinger •
-
Five talking points from stage 20 of the Giro d'Italia 2021
Bernal on the brink of glory, Caruso gets his reward, and Yates holds on - the biggest moments from the penultimate stage
By Stephen Puddicombe •
-
Egan Bernal: I have some time to play with, I just want to have good legs for the time trial
The Colombian star still leads the Giro d’Italia after Simon Yates took back more time
By Alex Ballinger •
-
Egan Bernal loses time to Simon Yates on stage 17 of the Giro d’Italia
The maglia rosa cracked on the final climb as Yates attacked
By Alex Ballinger •
-
Egan Bernal will not ride the Tour de France in 2021
The Colombian also says the Olympics is in doubt due to his back pain that forced him out of the Tour de France last year
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Egan Bernal: The plan was to be conservative, but when I’m at the front I like to attack
The Giro d’Italia 2021 leader also shared his thoughts on the Tour de France, Olympics and the Vuelta a España
By Alex Ballinger •
-
'I wanted to show I'm back in the game': No answers to Egan Bernal as maglia rosa stamps his authority on Giro d'Italia
The race leader launched a devastating attack on the Passo Giau to strengthen his hold on pink
By Richard Windsor •
-
Egan Bernal dominates to solo to victory on stage 16 of the Giro d'Italia 2021
The pink jersey dropped everyone on the Passo Giau in horrendous conditions before descending to victory
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
