The Giro d'Italia is not just the first Grand Tour of the season, it's an epic three-week journey that can be rewarding and ecstatic, but also cruel and merciless. The Giro is poetry in its purest form, it's a love for coffee, culture, and mythology, it's the race of memorable duels between Coppi and Bartali, and also one of the happy hunting grounds of the pack.

In 20 participations, the Wolfpack has collected a total of 33 stages and nine jerseys, along with many other classifications and a second place in the general classification. This year, as Albania prepares to become the 12th different country to host the Grand Start, Soudal Quick-Step arrives at the start with the ambition of being among the protagonists again, regardless of terrain and conditions, and leaving a mark on the Pink Race.

The experienced Mikel Landa, one of the best climbers of this century, is ready to lead the team in the 108th edition of the event where he has finished third overall twice, as well as winning three stages and the famous KOM jersey. The Basque rider, top ten this season at Tirreno-Adriatico and Volta a Catalunya, shared his excitement about returning to the race he loves so much.

"I'm happy with the first months of the season, it's been a good start for me and now I can't wait to be with the guys at the Giro d'Italia. I had a solid training camp in Sierra Nevada, continued preparing after returning home, and I'm happy to be at the start of the race that made me the rider I am today. I expect a tough Giro, with a challenging last week, but I'm ready to fight for a stage win and a good general classification," Mikel said.

Alongside Landa in the Soudal Quick-Step roster will be Mattia Cattaneo, Josef Cerny, Gianmarco Garofoli, British champion Ethan Hayter, James Knox, Luke Lamperti and Paul Magnier, one of the most promising young riders in the World Tour, who will make his Grand Tour debut.

"There are many challenging stages, especially in the last week, where anything can happen, which means we must stay alert at all times. We have a good and motivated team for this first Grand Tour of the year. Mikel will lead the team's general classification ambitions, while Paul will try to be involved in group sprints. We know it will be a tough race, but we are ready to do our best," said Davide Bramati, Soudal Quick-Step sports director.