Simon Gerrans named in Orica-GreenEdge Giro d'Italia squad

Simon Gerrans will continue his comeback from injury at next week’s Ardennes Classics, but will also ride for Orica-GreenEdge in the Giro d’Italia in May.

The Australian, who won Liege-Bastogne-Liege in 2014, broke his collarbone in a mountain biking accident in December, before injuring his elbow in his comeback at Stade Bianche in March.

Gerrans, 34, made his second comeback of the season at the Tour of the Basque Country and will take in the Tour of Romandie before embarking on the three-week Giro.

“The Giro is perfectly timed for my first peak of the season,” Gerrans said on the Orica-GreenEdge website. “With my latest racing block, the Classics and then the Tour of Romandie in my legs, I will arrive at the Giro fresh and hopefully in top condition.”

Having been focussed on the Tour de France in recent years, Gerrans will ride the Giro for the first time since 2009, when he rode for Cervelo Test Team; finishing ninth in the mountains classification.

He won stage 14 to Bologna, in which Chris Froome, riding for Barloworld-Bianchi, finished 36 seconds down in sixth.

“We’re really excited to name Simon in our Giro d’Italia line-up and it will certainly give our roster even more depth in what is such a demanding race,” Orica sport director Matt White said.

“It’s a big priority for us again this season and with Simon in top condition we will have one of the strongest cards to play for the first part of the race.

“He is coming along very well after numerous set-backs which kept him out of action for the first part of the season, but I am confident he will be at his best when we start the race.”

Gerrans is not the only rider to tackle the Giro off the back of an early-season injury, with Etixx-Quick-Step’s Tom Boonen set to make his debut in the race after separating his shoulder in March.