How is Red Bull's Giro squad shaping up? In form Mick van Dijke in, Danny van Poppel out?

Red Bull BORA-hansgrohe have a deep and capable GC squad for the Corsa Rosa. Giulio Pellizzari, Jai Hindley and Aleksandr Vlasov are all options for the general classification, with Mick van Dijke now on the provisional start list in support, alongside Gianni Moscon, Giovanni Aleotti, Luke Tuckwell and Ben Zwiehoff.

Pellizzari recently won the Tour of the Alps and is widely regarded by many in the sport as the most likely challenger to Jonas Vingegaard. Dutch Champion Danny van Poppel, however, will not be joining the team. He told IDL Pro Cycling at Eschborn-Frankfurt that he will in all likelihood not be on the start line in Italy.

The German team is sending Mick van Dijke as a key strong man for the team. And if his brother Tim van Dijke's assessment of his form is anything to go by, the peloton should be on notice.

The brothers Van Dijke headed out for a ride on Friday in fine weather around the Oesterdam in the Netherlands, with Mick putting in several serious efforts along the way. On Tim's power meter, Mick hit 700 watts on flat roads near the Oosterschelde — good for close to 60 kilometres per hour.

The Giro selection appears to be a fairly recent addition to Mick's programme. In the weeks prior, he had been listed for Rund um Köln and the Tour de France. The withdrawal of Van Poppel may well be what brought the Van Dijke family back into the Giro picture.

Red Bull are targeting a strong GC result at the Corsa Rosa, with Giulio Pellizzari — fresh from winning the Tour of the Alps — and the ever-dangerous Jai Hindley as their leaders. For Mick, this will be his first Giro d'Italia. He made his grand tour debut at last year's Tour de France.

He heads into the race off the back of a successful spring, though one in which he often found himself working for others — as he acknowledged himself. His spring highlight came at the end of the Classics, where Mick finished a fine sixth at Paris-Roubaix. He was also on the start list for Amstel Gold Race but did not ride — the Giro had already been added to his calendar by that point.

Don't expect to see Dutch champion Danny van Poppel at the Giro d'Italia. The sprinter had made the Italian Grand Tour his primary goal for 2026, with the plan to race for stage wins in his own right. But after a difficult spring, he told IDL Pro Cycling that he will most likely not join the team in Italy.

After a strong 2025 — five wins in total — Van Poppel wanted to change tack for 2026 and chase his own results more. His Dutch national title, won ahead of Olav Kooij and Dylan Groenewegen, gave him that belief, and he added a further win in October at the final stage of the NIBC Tour of Holland.

In 2026, though, nothing has clicked. Van Poppel abandoned the Tour Down Under, Tirreno-Adriatico and the Settimana Ciclistica Coppi e Bartali, managing just one sprint opportunity across all three races — in Australia. He did contribute significantly to Remco Evenepoel's win at Amstel Gold Race, riding hard on the front in his red-white-and-blue national champion's jersey.