Thursday evening, Israel Start-Up Nation took the stage for the official team presentation ahead of the Giro d’Italia. Led by Dan Martin, the team is eager to get started and leave its mark on the Italian Grand Tour.

Wearing the brand-new dark red, wine-inspired outfit, showcasing the team’s Italian sponsor Vini Fantini, the ISN guys entered the stage in Torino, where the Giro begins this Saturday. Before the presentation, Martin spoke about his ambitions for the race, pointing out that he’s had a good lead-up to the first big target of the year.

Dan Martin: “My training has been near perfect the last 6-7 weeks and I’m determined to do a good race and leave my mark on the Giro. I don’t feel I have any pressure on me but, of course, I want to do well and try to win a stage. For the general classification, we will see how it goes. There are a lot of strong riders here and I don’t want to set a specific target. I just want to give it my all and see where it leaves me.”

Guy Niv is also very eager to begin the race. This year’s Giro d’Italia will be the fourth Grand Tour for the Israeli climber, who says he’s feeling better than ever after a strong start to the season.

Guy Niv: “I’m super happy to be here. Everybody seems to be ready and we have big ambitions for this race. I know I have already said this a lot, but I really cannot wait to get started. I feel this is going to be a different Grand Tour for me, compared to what I have done before. I feel much stronger than earlier. I have had a good race preparation and my numbers look good.”

The Giro d’Italia begins with a short individual time trial on Saturday, May 8.

Giro ISN presentation

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