With opportunities spread across three weeks of racing, from Nessebar in Bulgaria to the finish in Rome, Team NSN Cycling will line up at the start of the Giro d'Italia with hopes of stage wins, a solid general classification finish and, if all goes well, the pink jersey.

The Grand Départ in the Balkans offers immediate sprint opportunities for Ethan Vernon and Corbin Strong, who will be supported by Jake Stewart, Ryan Mullen, Nick Schultz and Dion Smith.

After a promising start to the season, home rider Alessandro Pinarello will hunt for stage wins in the intermediate stages, while Jan Hirt will attempt to repeat his top 10 finishes in the general classification from 2022 and 2024 with a solid performance across the 21 stages.

There could be several opportunities for Vernon, the team leader with four victories to his name in 2026, and for Strong, who finished top five at Milan-San Remo. The challenges begin from day one, with a completely flat stage concluding in Burgas, Bulgaria's fourth largest city. A sprinter looks destined to claim the first pink jersey of the race.

Sporting Director Dimitri Claeys explained: "We start the Giro in Bulgaria with ambition, targeting stage success with our leaders Ethan and Corbin. Jan has already finished the Giro in the top 10 twice and is well prepared, so we expect him to be among the protagonists again. After a very promising start to the season, we can't wait to see Alessandro's progress. He'll have the opportunity to target good stage results in the medium mountain stages. With Jake, Ryan, Nick and Dion, we have a core of very experienced riders who will provide solid support to the team".

British cyclist Vernon will tackle his second Giro d'Italia strong from the victories he's achieved this season at the Tour Down Under, the Région Pays de la Loire and the Volta a Catalunya, the team's home race: "I can't wait to start the Giro," he says. "It will be the first Grand Tour I'll face with confidence and with the certainty that I can win. The goal was always to participate in many stage races before the Giro and try to secure as many victories as possible, and this year we've done that brilliantly, with four successes already under our belt. I firmly believe I can compete for the victory. There's already a great opportunity in the first stage, which represents additional motivation, since the leader's jersey is at stake. The first stage is fundamental for me, but the second and third will also be crucial for Corbin. For the team, these first three days are really important, with the possibility of claiming the pink jersey, whether it's me in the first stage or Corbin in the second. We're super motivated and want to maintain the winning momentum we've built this season."

Pinarello will have the added advantage of racing on home roads in stage 18, which will conclude in Pieve di Soligo, just 15 kilometers from his hometown of Conegliano. The twenty-two-year-old states: "As an Italian rider, it's always very special to start the Giro. It's Italy's most important race, with so many fans coming to watch it, so it really means a lot. The approach this year has been completely different, as I've done a long altitude training block. There's no pressure from the team regarding the general classification, we want to see how I fare over the three weeks. The goal is to try to get the best possible result in the stages, whether in a breakaway or in a select group, and also to support Corbin. My expectation is to try to win a stage, and if I have the legs, maybe aim for the general classification in the third week, but that's not the main objective."

New Zealander Strong returns to the Giro a year after his near-victory in Vlorë, Albania, where he came close to his first Grand Tour victory. Potential opportunities for him begin already in the second stage, with the finish in Veliko Tarnovo, while the race's first finish in his home country, in the fourth stage, also represents an important opportunity for him: "The Giro offers us many opportunities as a team," he says. "We have a strong team for sprints and also some climbers in good form. I can't wait to start the race with this group and I believe that together we can have three really intense weeks."

Team NSN Cycling at the Giro d'Italia (from Friday, May 8 to Sunday, May 31)
Riders: Jan Hirt (CZE), Ryan Mullen (IRL), Alessandro Pinarello (ITA), Nick Schultz (AUS), Dion Smith (NZL), Jake Stewart (GBR), Corbin Strong (NZL) and Ethan Vernon (GBR)
Sporting Directors: Dimitri Claeys (BEL), Francesco Frassi (ITA) and Alex Cataford (CAN)