All roads lead to the Eternal City – Rome – during the month of May, as the INEOS Grenadiers confirm their line-up for the Giro d’Italia.
The 106th edition of the iconic race begins on 6 May from Fossacesia Marina in the Abruzzo region, with a 19.6km time trial, and finishes on 28 May in Rome.
There are three time trials in the event which takes in the western Alps and the race’s Cima Coppi (highest point) – Colle del Gran San Bernardo at 2469m – with a brutal final week of racing in the Dolomites sure to provide a fascinating showdown ahead of the finale in Rome.

The Grenadiers selected for the 106th Giro d’Italia are:

Thymen Arensman
Laurens De Plus
Filippo Ganna
Tao Geoghegan Hart
Salvatore Puccio
Pavel Sivakov
Ben Swift
Geraint Thomas

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Here is what some of the team had to say about lining up at the Giro d’Italia:

Geraint Thomas

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I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into the Giro. The last two times I’ve been there I haven’t even finished, so hopefully I can get to Rome at the very least!
Obviously, this year has been a bit stop-start, but I’m on the right track and coming into some shape just in time – with all the boys going super-well too. We had a really good camp at Sierra Nevada and then the Tour of the Alps obviously went really well, so morale is high. Everyone’s confident and we’re just looking forward to racing now.
For me, I just want to enjoy it. As a junior, the thought of even going to the Giro with a group of lads all trying to perform at our absolute best…I would have been super-excited, so I’m looking forward to going there, soaking it up and getting stuck in.
It’ll be nice having Swifty on the team too – we’ve been racing together since we were like 10 or 11 on bike paths around parks. Hopefully we have the chance to enjoy it, because it’s a tough race and the end’s obviously super hard. The last week’s going to decide it, I think, so I’m looking forward to getting there, getting into the race and giving it everything with the lads.

Tao Geoghegan Hart
Racing in Italy is something I love. The Tifosi, the landscapes and the history of the Giro always make it an incredible experience.
Each Grand Tour is its own journey and for the 2023 Giro we are lining up with a great team, definitely hoping to add another special chapter to this race.
I’ve been in good form and have just really been enjoying racing with my teammates. Riding well at Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of the Alps has been great, but also satisfying to reward the hard work and dedication of my teammates and our amazing staff.
This group has spent a lot of time together so we’ll go into the race with great morale and confidence to make the most of the three big weeks ahead of us!

Filippo Ganna
I’m so happy to be back and starting at the Giro. Every time I race, I give my absolute maximum – so I’m looking forward to seeing what I can achieve for the team. I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved at this race in the past, and I’m feeling really positive.
Our team is strong and I can’t wait to get out and show our very best. The opening time trial again offers me the opportunity to start in a very positive way for us all. Preparations have gone well and I look forward to getting to Fossacesia Marina next Saturday.
I obviously love racing in Italy in front of my home fans, and know the impact that the incredible support for me and the team has, so we hope to use that energy to give our very best.

Rod Ellingworth – Deputy Team Principal
Our first Grand Tour line-up of 2023 is an exciting rider group and shows real intent in how we want to take on the Giro.
We love racing in Italy, and this year’s parcours features some extremely tough stages, and the possibility of some equally tough conditions. The Italian fans are in for a real treat, and we’re looking forward to putting our stamp on what promises to be a really entertaining but challenging race.
As a team, we’ll draw on the experience of Geraint and Tao in the tightly contested general classification. Filippo’s pedigree and local popularity speaks for itself, so we expect all eyes to be on him at the opening time trial, with the prize of the maglia rosa up for grabs.
Our Giro d’Italia team:

Geraint Thomas – 36, Great Britain
The Tour de France winner first rode the Giro as far back as 2008 and then again in 2012. More recently he didn’t finish in 2017 as well as in 2020 and will look to this year’s event to remedy that. The Welshman’s completed three races in 2023 thus far – Down Under, Alps and Catalunya – and will be banking on his experience in what promises to be a very exciting Giro d’Italia.

Tao Geoghegan Hart – 28, Great Britain
On his way to victory in 2020 Geoghegan Hart won two stages of the race and famously stood atop the podium in the Piazza del Duomo taking the biggest win of his career.
2023 has seen Tao in good form taking overall podium positions at Tirreno-Adriatico and Valenciana, and then most recently winning the Tour of the Alps, capping off a fine team performance.

Thymen Arensman – 23, Netherlands
The young Dutch climber takes on his second Giro d’Italia having made his debut at the race in 2022, securing a top-20 place overall; that included twice finishing second on a stage. A new Grenadier in 2023, Thymen has settled quickly and proven himself to be a popular teammate with great potential to play a key role in our contest for the GC.

Laurens De Plus – 27, Belgium
A hugely popular member of our team, Laurens will be lining up for his third Giro. His wide range of abilities will see him feature prominently for the Grenadiers throughout the race, with the talented 27-year-old playing a key role in the team pursuing its GC ambitions.

Filippo Ganna – 26, Italy
Ganna will look to emulate his successes of 2020 and 2021 where he won the opening time trials of the race with eyes firmly fixed on the maglia rosa; those wins two of the six Giro d’Italia stages he’s won in his career so far.
2023 has been a strong year for Filippo; he won the opening time trial of Tirreno-Adriatico in impressive fashion alongside a very fine performance in finishing second at Milan-San Remo. His cobbled Classics campaign included top-10 finishes at Paris-Roubaix and E3 Saxo Classic, while he started the year with an impressive second overall finish at the Vuelta a San Juan Internacional.

Salvatore Puccio – 33, Italy
2023 sees a 10th Giro d’Italia start for Salvatore who, impressively, has finished every one of his 9 previous appearances at the race. ‘Salva’ will play a key support role and his experience will be crucial to the team’s ambitions this Giro, while his versatility ensures that should an opportunity arise, he’ll be able to take it.

Pavel Sivakov – 25, France
Pavel finished 9th overall in the 2019 Giro and second in the youth category, and he followed that up with a top-20 finish in 2022. He’s been in good form in 2023, scoring numerous top-10s finishes and he will take that form and confidence into the Giro. Pavel will be a key member of our climbing contingent and he also has what it takes to seize his own opportunities.

Ben Swift – 35, Great Britain
A key member of our team’s success at the Giro in 2020, Ben impressed with his wide-range of abilities as he finished top-20 overall. The former British road race champion will start his fifth Giro this year and his 15-year career in the pro peloton brings invaluable experience to the team.