KEY POINTS:
New Zealand cycling will get a shot in the arm next week when three of its riders start in the Tour of Italy.
National road champion Julian Dean, who will line up for his second Giro d'Italia for France's Credit Agricole, will be joined by debutants Greg Henderson, of Germany's T-Mobile, and Tim Gudsell, for Francaise des Jeux, another French team.
The Giro, along with the Tour de France and the Vuelta, Tour of Spain, form what is known as the "The Grand Tours" in Europe with the Giro the second most prestigious behind the French event.
The three New Zealanders last week competed in the Tour of Romandie in Switzerland, the traditional warm-up stage race ahead of the Giro, with Henderson and Dean featuring in the top six in the second stage.
Gudsell eventually finished 112th overall with Henderson two places back while Dean did not complete the race.
Dean, who will wear New Zealand colours, will be expected to ride for team leaders Thor Hushovd and Pietro Caucchioli in his role as lead out rider.
Henderson, rated the best sprinter in the United States on the American circuit last year, is likely to feature in the flat stages of the 21-stage race to secure points for his team.
Gudsell, in his first year on the Pro Tour, will have a chance to prove his worth for the future with "domestique" duties for FDJ.
The Giro begins on May 12 with a team time trial on the island of Caprera, off north-eastern Sardinia, and finishes in Milan on June 3.
- NZPA
