Capel Dewi cyclist Stevie Williams is in the Israel-Premier Tech team heading out to the Giro d’Italia.

The 26-year-old climbing specialist joins a team with a mix of youth and experience for the first Grand Tour of the season which gets underway on 6 May.

“We are lining up with at the Giro d’Italia with two main goals; the General Classification with Domenico Pozzovivo and also fighting for a stage win,” said Sports Director Oscar Guerrero.

“We have a diverse team featuring riders with a lot of experience on one end and then the team’s youngest guys and Grand Tour debutants on the other.

“We are not going with a team experienced in supporting a GC leader but we will share the responsibilities between the riders and hopefully Domenico can get a top-ten on GC which he did last year.

“Of course, fighting for a stage win in the mountains can be another goal for him.

“Simon Clarke is a proven Grand Tour stage winner and is in great shape so we need to see the stages that really suit him, where he can get into a good breakaway and go for a win.

“Mads Würtz Schmidt is another rider who is in good shape and is very opportunistic so he will be on the look out for good breakaways and hilly stages where he can fight for the win, and also help on the flatter stages and in the stress of crosswinds to help Domenico.”

With three neo pros in the line up and half of the team 25-years-old or younger, IPT will line up with one of its youngest ever Grand Tour rosters.

“We have a lot of young guys like Matthew Riccitello, Marco Frigo, Sebastian Berwick, and Stevie Williams,” explained Guerrero.

“This is a learning experience and the first Grand Tour for half of them so we need to be smart with selecting good opportunities and also days where they can rest and save their legs for the final week to help Domenico as much as possible.

“Derek Gee is not one of our youngest neo pros but he is lining up for his first Grand Tour so it will be a new experience for him.

“But he has a big engine, he’s a good rouleur and a good time trialist, and he can climb so he can have a great Giro d’Italia.”

Israel - Premier Tech at the Giro d’Italia: Sebastian Berwick (AUS), Simon Clarke (AUS), Marco Frigo(ITA), Derek Gee (CAN), Domenico Pozzovivo (ITA), Matthew Riccitello (USA),Stevie Williams (UK), Mads Würtz Schmidt (DEN).