Picnic PostNL change tack for the Giro d'Italia and aim for attacking racing and sprint wins

It took a while, but thanks to Casper van Uden opening his account at the Tour of Turkey, Picnic PostNL got off the mark at last. Next stop: the Giro d'Italia, where the Dutch team have Van Uden as a strong card in the sprint stages. The team, who will race the Giro under the name Team Picnic PostNL Raisin, announced their squad on Tuesday morning.

First, the name. The team's official registration remains unchanged, but "this activation celebrates the collaboration with Raisin, who are using the race to launch their entry into the Italian market. The activation will also be visible through an adapted race kit, in which Raisin features prominently, while the team's distinctive identity — the orange Keep Challenging stripes — remains clearly visible in the peloton."

On the sporting side, Picnic PostNL have a clear objective: stage wins. "At a sporting level, the team is making a change of approach for the Giro," the announcement states. "Initially the focus was on general classification ambitions with Max Poole, combined with sprint opportunities for Van Uden. As Poole is still recovering, the approach has been adapted: attacking racing, seeking opportunities every day, and seizing them when the moment presents itself."

For that task, the team have selected what they describe as "a mix of experienced international riders and five Dutch nationals, strongly reflecting the roots of the team." Alongside Van Uden, the Dutch contingent is made up of Frank van den Broek, Timo de Jong, Gijs Leemreize and Tim Naberman.

Warren Barguil, Sean Flynn and Chris Hamilton complete the squad — and team director Matt Winston is delighted with it. "Without GC ambitions, we have the freedom to race aggressively and pick our moments across the three weeks. We can go all-in on the stages that suit us and save energy when needed."

Winston names his riders individually. "In the harder stages, riders like Chris, Frank, Warren and Gijs have already shown they can deliver results in Grand Tours, and we want to draw on those qualities again."

"In the sprints, our approach stays the same: we believe in our group and in the strength of our Orange Train to put Casper in position for a good result, as we did last year. Three weeks of racing will be a challenge, but one this group is ready for," Winston said.