With 12 Aussies, five Americans, two Canadians, a Brit and a New Zealander, there may be a record number of English-speakers starting the 2005 Giro d’Italia on Saturday.

The teams arrived on Wednesday evening for UCI medical testing and the team presentation. The race itself gets under way with a 1.5km prologue Saturday evening in Reggio Calabria. After three days of relaxation in their hotels, facing a course whose end you can see from the beginning, riders will be exploding out of the start gate. Discovery Channel’s Michael Barry said everyone is “very eager to get started.”

The Discovery team did a three-hour training ride in the mountains outside of Reggio Calabria to warm up their legs yesterday. On Friday, it was pouring down rain and they were hanging around the hotel, waiting for a break in the deluge before heading out for a spin.

Team Cofidis has the additional challenge of being hosted at a hotel at 1300 meters, atop a 30km climb, with only one café at which to sip cappuccinos. Thursday’s training consisted of coasting down the mountain and riding back up. Rumor has it that Stuart O'Grady is prepared to ride a fixed-gear bike in the prologue along the boardwalk come Saturday evening.

The 2005 Giro has many favorites for the overall, nearly all of them Italian. Chief among them are the defending champion, 23-year-old Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Caffita), and Ivan Basso (CSC). Don’t count out 2002 Giro winner Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel), either.

No native English speakers are expected to contend for the overall, but there are plenty in the bunch who could win stages. American Tom Danielson (Discovery Channel), winner of the 2005 Tour de Georgia, who is riding his first grand tour, could score in the Giro’s final mountainous week. And countryman Dave Zabriskie (CSC) could take a time-trial win, although he may choose to save his energy for helping teammate Basso ride for the overall win.

In the sprints, look for Aussie speedsters Robbie McEwen (Lotto-Davitamon), Stuart O'Grady (Cofidis) and Baden Cooke (Française des Jeux) to duke it out for the the Giro's purple jersey. And New Zealand sprinter Julian Dean (Crédit Agricole) could make history – if he pulls off a win, he would be the first Kiwi to win a Giro stage.

Finally, the Giro will see its first Canadian starters since Steve Bauer in 1994 with both Michael Barry and Ryder Hesjedal lining up. Like Danielson, Hesjedal is racing his first grand tour, and the former mountain bike world’s medallist is super motivated.

Q&A with Tom Danielson
On the eve of the Giro prologue, I caught up with Tom Danielson to get his pre-race thoughts and to find out what he's been up to since winning the Tour de Georgia.

Dede Barry: Tom, congrats on your Tour de Georgia victory. I know it must have been a little bit of a relief for Discovery to win after a slightly disappointing time trial at the start of the race. It was incredible to watch you guys ride so aggressively and fight for the win in the final three days of the race and especially to see you speed ahead of the bunch up Brasstown Bald. What have you been up to since your Georgia victory?

Tom Danielson: Just relaxing and spending as much time as possible with my wife, Kristin. She is a huge inspiration to me. It was very special to have her in Georgia with me along with my parents.

DB: It's your first grand tour, but you are coming off a stellar win at Georgia. Do you think you and the team have the form to ride for the win in the Giro?

TD: I think Paolo has the form to race for the podium. The team as a whole is going quite well, so with his form and our support it is possible.

DB: What are your personal goals for the Giro?

TD: My personal goals are simply to enjoy the race and absorb as much as possible. I want to do a good job for the team and give Paolo the best shot possible at the podium.

DB: Have you or the other guys on the team ridden any of the courses?

TD: As far as riding the stages I think Paolo is the only one who has previewed them. From what he says the mountain stages are super hard.

DB: Does winning Georgia change your role within the Giro team at all?

TD: No, not at all. This is my first three-week tour and it is important that I really learn from it. Johan (Bruyneel) just wants me to go in relaxed and to have fun in the first weeks. The idea is to come out stronger and understand this type of racing. Paolo has won this race before and has good form so I will help him as much as possible and keep my eyes and ears wide open to take in as much as I can.

DB: You guys have had a few days to hang out before the start of the Giro, as you came a few days early for medical testing and the team presentation. What have you been doing with all the downtime?

TD: Hanging out with your husband! Well, not much really. We have been training, getting massage, and doing a ton of nothing. It is fun to hang with the guys, so it is actually not so bad. But this time is where our AMD computers really come in handy!

DB: Did you bring any books along to pass the evenings during the Giro?

TD: I didn't bring any books, but three days into this Michael has been going through books like crazy. He has been laughing like crazy on the last one so I think I am going to start borrowing his books.

DB: How's the food in Reggio? Is it hard not to puff out while you wait around for the race?

TD: The food is good. That is one thing you can count on in Italy - good food. Yeah, it is hard to control your intake here, especially with all this time on your hands. But I have also brought a taste from home with me. Some special cookies from a Durango bakery called “Bread” and some Durango Coffee Company coffee are here with me to give me that extra kick I need in the race.

DB: Will your wife, Kristin, be on the sidelines cheering for you?

TD: No, Kristin will be doing the “Tour of North America”. She is doing the Tri-Peaks race, then Montréal World Cup, then Mount Hood, and finally Nature Valley. Possibly more racing then me! I miss her a ton, but after the race I will be able to spend some quality time together. She is a huge motivation for me so even though she won't be there she will be helping me every step along the way.

Dede Barry is a former professional cyclist, a 2004 Olympic silver medalist and a contributor to “Inside the Postal Bus,” a book by her husband, Discovery Channel rider Michael Barry.