Adam Hansen to ride his 20th consecutive Grand Tour at the Giro d'Italia
Australian's remarkable record continues
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.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
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)
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Henry Robertshaw began his time at Cycling Weekly working with the tech team, writing reviews, buying guides and appearing in videos advising on how to dress for the seasons. He later moved over to the news team, where his work focused on the professional peloton as well as legislation and provision for cycling. He's since moved his career in a new direction, with a role at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
-
Jonas Vingegaard is 'happy' while Tadej Pogačar calls Tour de France 2025 route 'brutal'
Visma-Lease a Bike sports director Grischa Niermann says course 'certainly appeals' to Dutch squad
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Do cycling jackets have to get a lot worse for the environment to get a bit better?
Will our waterproof cycling rain jackets still keep out the elements now that the old way of manufacturing is being banned
By Hannah Bussey Published
-
‘Current WorldTour system is killing all the smaller teams,’ says Reinardt Janse van Rensburg
South African ex-Lotto Soudal rider fears more teams could find themselves in B & B Hotels-KTM situation if the system doesn’t change
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Caleb Ewan ‘not going anywhere’ after team's relegation, says Lotto-Soudal
Spokesperson for Belgian team says that Ewan has expressed desire to stay and lead the team in 2023
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
‘It's not been a great Tour for the sprinters’ - Caleb Ewan rues bad luck at the Tour de France after heavy crash on stage 13
Lotto Soudal sprinter involved in nasty crash with a teammate midway through stage into Saint-Étienne
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'I’m still having to pinch myself a little bit, what a ride!' : Reinardt Janse van Rensburg’s journey to a sixth Tour de France
The 33 year old South African rider feared his career was over before Lotto Soudal came calling.
By Tom Thewlis Last updated
-
Lotto Soudal pins Tour de France hopes on 'one of the fastest riders of the peloton', Caleb Ewan
Caleb Ewan, Philippe Gilbert, Andreas Kron and Tim Wellens all make the team's Tour de France lineup
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Racing every race like it's the last of the season: how smaller teams are overperforming this year
Lotto-Soudal and Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux have won 11 races between them in 2022 after just 21 in all of last year, so what's going on?
By Adam Becket Published
-
Meet Florian Vermeersch, the history student and local councillor who finished second at Paris-Roubaix
The Lotto Soudal rider on living up to new expectations, the new approach of his team, and how time trialling helps in the Classics
By Adam Becket Published
-
Paris-Roubaix runner-up Florian Vermeersch posts incredible ride to Strava
The 22-year-old Belgian put in an astonishing ride on his 'Hell of the North' debut
By Tim Bonville-Ginn Last updated