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Kiwi rider Julian Dean - Source: Photosport -
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The 100th edition of the Giro d'Italia cycling race beginning on Saturday will have a New Zealand presence with Hayden Roulston and Julian Dean confirmed starters with their respective teams, Cervelo Test Team and Garmin Slipstream.
Both their buildups to the first of the three Grand Tours of the year have been marred by injury. But they have done enough in recent weeks during training camps to convince team officials they are fit to race.
Dean, who helped his team win last year's opening stage, a team time trial in which he crossed the line fourth, says the target this year is not helping American team leader Jan Vandevelde win the tour but to target specific stages.
Garmin Slipstream have named a strong side whose other seven riders are English track legend Bradley Wiggins, Australian world champion Cameron Meyer, Danny Pate, David Millar, David Zabriskie, and Tyler Farrar.
In his third consecutive Giro appearance, Dean, not in top form after suffering a deep gash to a thigh in a Belgian race in April, will be playing the lead-out role for Farrar in the early sprints stages before the climbers take the spotlight when the tour hits the mountains in Northern Italy.
Garmin Slipstream are tipped to fight it out in the team time trial on day one with defending champion Alberto Contador's Team Astana and Mark Cavendish's Columbia.
Roulston, meanwhile, has also been battling to hit form after suffering a foot injury.
However, he has done enough to convince team officials he is fit enough to play a vital role in the team's plans for the Giro.
Cervelo's line-up contains last year's Tour de France winner and team sports director Jean-Paul van Poppel said: " We are going for a top result in the general classification with the leader and Tour de France winner, Carlos Sastre.
"He will get support from the entire team to reach a top three place in the GC."
Another target is a stage win and Poppel picked out Roulston, Simon Gerrans, who won a stage last year in the Tour de France, and Philip Deignan as potential stage winners for the team.
The centennial edition of the Giro d'Italia starts in Venice with the team time trial on Saturday and finishes in Rome on May 31, 21 stages and 3455.6km later.
It contains six mountain top finishes and three time trials, one team and two individual.
