Dutch WorldTour team LottoNL-Jumbo launched its 2017 season in Amsterdam, outlining its primary season objectives of overall Giro d'Italia success with Steven Kruijswijk and revealing its new Shimano made yellow and black kit.
LottoNL-Jumbo will also be aiming for Tour de France stage success with Robert Gesink and sprint victories across the season with Dutch national champion Dylan Groenewegen.
"Today's cycling needs a more specific focus on tasks," general manager Richard Plugge said. "Preparation, both physical and mental, and materials are important. They are just as important as a performance on the road. This needs a 100 per cent focus. We are already working this way, but with a clearer delineation for 2017."
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Having worn the Giro's pink jersey for five days in 2016 before a crash on the Colle Dell'Agnello derailed his hopes of overall victory and saw him drop to fourth, Kruijswijk will return for the 100th edition of the corsa rosa aiming for the victory. He will also target the general classification at the Vuelta a Espana which he crashed out of this year.
"Every moment from now on is centred on that great goal, the Giro. We will do everything to be at the start in top form," said the Dutchman. "With my opinion, the team brought in a number of riders who can assist me in the Giro. Stef Clement and Jurgen Van den Broeck will be important riders for me. Therefore they ride almost the same programme and they go with me altitude training. Also, the rest of the Giro team will often race with me and train with me.
"Because of my crash in the Vuelta, my season ended quickly and I started my winter differently. Right now, I'm on schedule for the Giro. My season starts in February. After the Giro in May, I'm going to focus on the Vuelta, where I also want to go for the general classification."
Gesink, who will start his season at the Tour Down Under in Australia and is also scheduled to race the Abu Dhabi Tour and Tour of California, is building his season around the Tour de France after missing the race in 2016 due to a head injury.
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