Spring revelation Laurence Pithie takes the spotlight in Groupama-FDJ's Giro selection

At just over 21 years old, the New Zealander kicked off his second pro season with a bang, amassing a host of podium finishes and clinching a victory in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, a prestigious WorldTour event in Australia. Following two podium finishes on the New Zealand road and time trial championships, the young Kiwi headed to Flanders to test his mettle on the cobbles.

Without Stefan Kung, Groupama-FDJ's top classics specialist, Pithie put in a spirited performance during Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne but narrowly missed out on joining the critical breakaway group that included Wout van Aert, Oier Lazkano and Tim Wellens, who eventually contested the win. Pithie also claimed eighth place at GP Le Samyn and secured podium finishes in the first two stages of Paris-Nice, which earned him the yellow leader's jersey for a day.

Back in Flanders, Pithie grabbed headlines once again at Gent-Wevelgem, where he was dropped by Mads Pedersen and Mathieu van der Poel on the final climb of the Kemmelberg. He then experienced a puncture at a critical moment in Dwars door Vlaanderen and faced challenges in the Tour of Flanders, but bounced back a week later. Impressively, he secured a seventh-place finish at Paris-Roubaix despite a crash.

In terms of the Italian cycling tour, Pithie has a promising schedule ahead. Both flat sprints and challenging finishes are on the menu, which should play to his strengths and allow him to vie for victories in several stages. Yet, it is uncertain how he will manage the grueling three-week race. He recently shared his goals in an interview with IDLProCycling.com. In Italy, he will be supported by four French teammates: Enzo Paleni, Olivier Le Gac, Clément Davy and Cyril Barthe. The team also includes Britain's Lewis Askey, Switzerland's Fabian Lienhard and Italy's Lorenzo Germani.

Laurence Pithie
Lewis Askey
Cyril Barthe
Clément Davy
Lorenzo Germani
Olivier Le Gac
Fabian Lienhard
Enzo Paleni