One of the WorldTour’s best sprinters, if Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano) can fire at the Giro d’Italia he will push Mark Cavendish’s tally of five stage wins close. The big German fast man has been hit and miss so far this season – missing splits at crucial times and finding the going too tough on some moderate climbs at the Tour Down Under, Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour de Romandie.

But when he fires, he is unstoppable – just see the Dubai Tour for evidence, where he obliterated his rivals on the three road stages. Kittel was warmly welcomed by the Irish crowd ahead of the race, and if he can live up to expectations he will certainly challenge the climbers for the maglia rosso.