Israel Start-Up Nation brings a strong and versatile team to this year’s Giro d’Italia, having selected the following eight riders.

Dan Martin, Patrick Bevin, Matthias Brändle, Davide Cimolai, Alessandro De Marchi, Alex Dowsett, Krists Neilands and Guy Niv will represent the ISN colors, seeking both stage wins and overall success in the Italian Grand Tour.

Last year, the team took its first Grand Tour stage win when Dowsett soloed to victory on stage 8. Naturally, another win is high on the goal list, but this year, the team will also be focusing on doing well in the general classification with Martin.

Sports director, Nicki Sørensen: “The main goal for us is to do a top result in the GC with Dan [Martin]. He is in great shape and he will have full support from the team to reach his – and our – goals. However, we will also aim for stage wins as we have a team that can play a part in all terrains in this race.”

Dan Martin: “At the end of last season, I decided it was time for a new challenge and I was really excited to do the Giro d’Italia. This is a course that really suits me. I know that I’m stronger than I’ve ever been right now – both mentally and physically. My fourth place overall in the Vuelta last year was a big stepping stone to becoming more confident in doing well in the GC. Obviously, winning a stage is also a big goal. I have two in the Tour de France and two in the Vuelta a España and to complete the set of Grand Tour victories is a big ambition of mine.”

For Niv, this will be his second Giro d’Italia after completing the race in 2019. This year, the 27-year-old the Israeli has taken another step up in his career, showing good climbing legs in the recent races.

“It will be the first time that I will be part of an ISN team with GC aspirations. We are coming with full commitment to help Dan. For me, it will be a great challenge to prove that I can make a difference”, Niv explains.

A longer and more in-depth preview of ISN at the Giro d’Italia will be released on our channels in the coming days.