With the 2006 Giro d’Italia kicking off with a 6.2-kilometer individual time trial in Seraing, Belgium, on Saturday, teams are at their hotels and now all that’s left is the waiting… and a bit of prognosticating.

Our editors take a detailed look at this year’s Giro in the current issue of VeloNews. Here’s an updated look at the teams and their chances for success in the first of this year’s grand tours.

DISCOVERY CHANNEL (USA)
Race numbers: 1-9
GC contender: Paolo Savoldelli (I): Il Falco is looking for his third Giro win. Last year he showed his ability to come into form as the race went along, not to mention keep his cool in tight situations, as he did on the fierce Finestre climb (and descent!). He may not be at his best in the Belgian stages after gastroenteritis forced him to quit last week’s Tour de Romandie.
Others to watch: Tom Danielson (USA): The 2005 Tour de Georgia winner rode his way to a top-10 finish at last year’s Vuelta. He’ll wait in the wings for Discovery, but look for him to be with Savoldelli on the toughest climbs.
Giro will be a success if: Il Falco soars again.
Directeur sportif: Sean Yates
Equipment: Trek, Shimano
Trivia: The combined margin of Savoldelli’s two Giro wins was only 2:09.

AG2R (F)
Race numbers: 11-19
GC contender: Iñigo Chaurreau (Sp): This Basque has finished top 20 at the Tour and Vuelta. Now he has a chance at the Giro.
Others to watch: John Gadret (F): In his first major team after mainly racing cyclo-cross, this 27-year-old Frenchmen has developed into a useful climber.
Giro will be a success if: Any of the nine riders wins a stage.
Directeur sportif: Gilles Mas
Equipment: Decathlon, Campagnolo
Trivia: As a first-year ProTour team, AG2R is making its first appearance at the Giro.

BOUYGES TÉLÉCOM (F)
Race numbers: 21-29
Best sprinter: Sébastien Chavanel (F): The younger of the two Chavanel brothers has taken five stage wins at the Tour de l’Avenir; can he step up for a grand tour?
Giro will be a success if: Chavanel even gets close to a stage win.
Directeur sportif: Jean-René Bernaudeau
Equipment: Time, Campagnolo
Trivia: Rider No. 21 Giovanni Bernaudeau is the boss’s son. Dad gave him an Italian name because his best win came on the decisive mountain stage of the 1980 Giro.

CAISSE D'ÉPARGNE-ILLES BALEARS (Sp)
Race numbers: 31-39
GC contender: José Ivan Gutierrez (Sp): His time-trialing and sprinting skills could make him an early contender, but he’ll get unplugged by the big mountain stages.
Others to watch: Marco Fertonani (I): This 29-year-old Italian, who took a mountaintop stage win at the Vuelta a Castilla y León this March, could spring a surprise on one of the hilly stages. Vladimir Efimkin (Rus): Youngster in his first grand tour could surprise.
Giro will be a success if: Any of the above riders takes a stage.
Directeur sportif: Eusebio Unzue
Equipment: Opera, Campagnolo
Trivia: Team boss Unzue guided Miguel Induráin to two Giro wins (1992-93) and five Tour de France victories (1991-95)

PANARIA-NAVIGARE (I)
Race numbers: 41-49
GC contender: Emanuele Sella (I): After finishing 12th and 10th overall in his first two seasons, the Italian climber is ready to place even higher in ’06.
Others to watch: Julio Perez (Mex): Needs to re-find the stamina that earned this climber three stage wins in his early career.
Giro will be a success if: Sella places top 10 in Milan.
Directeur sportif: Bruno Reverberi
Equipment: Colnago, Campagnolo
Trivia: Last year, the team’s Aussie Brett Lancaster caused a sensation by giving Panaria a victory in the Giro’s prestigious prologue TT.

COFIDIS (F)
Race numbers: 51-59
GC contender: Ivan Parra (Col): After a breakthrough effort in the ’05 Giro that saw him take two mountain stages, Parra will go for a top-10 finish in ’06.
Best hope for a stage win: Leonardo Bertagnolli (I): Bertagnolli is an opportunist who could win a stage in the medium mountains.
Giro will be a success if: Parra or Bertagnolli wins a stage.
Directeur sportif: Francis Van Londersele
Equipment: Wilier Triestina, Campagnolo
Trivia: Parra was about to quit cycling when Selle Italia manager Giovanni Savio picked him up on a temporary contract for the Giro last year.

CRÉDIT AGRICOLE (F)
Race numbers: 61-69
GC contender: Francesco Bellotti (I) In only his fourth season, this talented Italian came in second at February’s Tour de Langkawi thanks to his climbing strength.
Others to watch: Frenchmen Patrice Halgand, Benoît Poilvet and Nicolas Vogondy are all capable of winning a stage.
Giro will be a success if: Bellotti can play a prominent role.
Directeur sportif: Serge Beucherie
Equipment: Look, Shimano
Trivia: Pietro Caucchioli, third at the 2002 Giro and eighth last year, has decided to focus on the Tour this year.

DAVITAMON-LOTTO (B)
Race numbers: 71-79
GC contender: Wim Van Huffel (B): Van Huffel finished 11th in his Giro debut last year and was one of the strongest climbers in the final stage to Sestriere.
Best sprinter: Robbie McEwen (Aus): McEwen has logged one day in the maglia rosa, but more importantly has eight stage wins in the past four years.
Giro will be a success if: McEwen wins one of the Belgian stages and/or Van Huffel cracks the top 10.
Directeur sportif: Marc Sergeant
Equipment: Ridley, Campagnolo
Trivia: Colombian climber Mauricio Ardila, ninth for Davitamon at the ’05 Vuelta, bought himself out of a $200,000 contract with the Belgian squad to sign with Rabobank and lead the Dutch team at this year’s Giro.

EUSKALTEL-EUSKADI (Sp)
Race numbers: 81-89
GC contender: David López (Sp): Fast-improving young climber who could spring a surprise in his Giro debut — but not the top 10.
Others to watch: Roberto Laiseka (Sp): At 36, this enigmatic Basque is still capable of winning a mountaintop stage.
Giro will be a success if: Laiseka or López wins a stage.
Directeur sportif: Julian Gorospe
Equipment: Orbea, Shimano
Trivia: Laiseka, in his 13th season with the Basque team, is the only remaining member of the original squad.

FRANÇAISE DES JEUX (F)
Race numbers: 91-99
GC contender: Sandy Casar (F): Casar has yet to improve on his 13th place at the 2003 Giro, but he excels when the going is tough.
Others to watch: Brad McGee (Aus): Victim of a horrendous pileup at the Critérium International in late March, McGee will focus on the stage 1 TT. Philippe Gilbert (B): Capable of taking a hilly stage like stage 2 in his native Belgium.
Giro will be a success if: Gilbert or McGee wins a stage.
Directeur sportif: Marc Madiot
Equipment: Lapierre, Shimano
Trivia: McGee is the only Australian to wear the leader’s jersey at the Giro, Tour and Vuelta.

GEROLSTEINER (G)
Race numbers: 101-109
GC contender: Stefan Schumacher (G): This German talent has yet to ride a grand tour, but he has plenty of overall wins in shorter stage races — including this April’s Circuit de la Sarthe.
Best sprinter: Robert Förster (G) The German has eight top-10 stage finishes in his past three Giro attempts.
Others to watch: Italians David Rebellin and Andrea Moletta both in line for stage wins
Giro will be a success if: Any of the above riders wins a stage.
Directeur sportif: Christian Henn
Equipment: Specialized, Shimano
Trivia: Gerolsteiner’s general manager is Renate Holczer, wife of the overall team director and team founder Hans-Michael Holczer.

LAMPRE-FONDITAL (I)
Race numbers: 111-119
GC contender: Damiano Cunego (I): The boy wonder took the win in 2004 but suffered mononucleosis and disappointment in last year’s Giro. He has already won the difficult Giro del Trentino and Coppi & Bartali Week this year, and appears to be ready for a Giro bid.
Others to watch: Team riders Marzio Bruseghin, Tadej Valjavec and Patxi Vila can be a springboard for Cunego in the mountains.
Giro will be a success if: Cunego, now 24, returns to the form he had in 2004.
Directeur sportif: Giuseppe Saronni
Equipment: Wilier Triestina, Campagnolo
Trivia: Saronni is the only team boss to have won the Giro — he did it in 1979 and 1983.

LIBERTY SEGUROS-WÜRTH (Sp)
Race numbers: 121-129
GC contenders: Michele Scarponi (I): Now in his fifth pro season, with two top-20 finishes at the Giro, this Italian all-rounder is ready to step up.
Others to watch: Gianpaolo Caruso (I): Fourth place at last October’s Tour of Lombardy shows that Caruso has the ability to win in the hills. Unai Osa (Sp): Can he find the climbing form that took him to the Giro podium in 2001?
Giro will be a success if: Scarponi regains the assurance that won him three major stage races in 2004.
Directeur sportif: Manolo Saiz
Equipment: BH, Campagnolo
Trivia: Title sponsor is Spanish subsidiary of U.S. corporate giant Liberty Mutual.

LIQUIGAS (I)
Race numbers: 131-139
GC contender: Danilo Di Luca (I): If Di Luca can improve his time trial, the only thing standing between him and his first Giro victory is Basso. Di Luca’s climbing improved dramatically over the course of last year’s Giro, where he finished fourth.
Others to watch: Italians Dario Cioni, Andrea Noè and Franco Pellizotti can make the difference for Di Luca on the climbing stages.
Giro will be a success if: Di Luca’s season-long focus on the Giro results in the big win.
Directeur sportif: Dario Mariuzzo
Equipment: Bianchi, Campagnolo
Trivia: At $6 million, Liquigas has the lowest budget of any ProTour team.

PHONAK (Swi)
Race numbers: 141-149
GC contender: Victor Hugo Peña (Col): Once Lance Armstrong’s right-hand man, Peña has a chance to lead Phonak now that Floyd Landis will sit out the Giro.Best stage win hopes: Axel Merckx (B): Merckx, 33, definitely has the experience to win a stage in the medium mountains as he did at the 2000 Giro. Also in the hunt are sprinters Fabrizio Guidi and Martin Elmiger.
Giro will be a success if: Phonak wins a stage and rides well as a team in preparation for Floyd Landis’s Tour campaign.
Directeur sportif: Juan Fernandez
Equipment: BMC, Campagnolo
Trivia: When Swiss-based Phonak hearing systems ends its title sponsorship at the end of 2006, the most likely replacement is the new subsidiary sponsor, iShares, a California-based financial company that is part of the London-based Barclays banking corporation.

QUICK STEP-INNERGETIC (B)
Race numbers: 151-159
GC contender: Juan Manuel Garate (Sp): The Spaniard finished fifth in the ’05 Giro with former team Saunier Duval.
Best hope for a stage win: Paolo Bettini (I): The Cricket seized an early stage win and the maglia rosa in 2005. The high mountains are a tad much for Bettini’s liking, but look for him to win one or more of the tougher hilly stages.
Giro will be a success if: Bettini wins at least one stage.
Directeur sportif: Serge Parsani
Equipment: Time, Campagnolo
Trivia: Bettini placed seventh overall in the 1988 Giro, but since then has only ridden it just twice, and his 2006 stage win was his first at the race.

RABOBANK (Nl)
Race numbers: 161-169
GC contender: Mauricio Ardila (Col): Raced as a domestique for Davitamon last year; now ready to use his climbing strength for a GC shot.
Best sprinter: Graeme Brown (Aus): After four years with the small Panaria squad, this rapid Aussie has the greater resources of a ProTour team.
Others to watch: Michael Rasmussen (Dk) is here to prepare for the Tour, but “Chicken” might just spin those skinny legs to a stage win.
Giro will be a success if: the men in orange and blue are in the moves, not chasing them.
Directeur sportif: Erik Breukink
Equipment: Colnago, Shimano
Trivia: Besides Bjarne Riis at CSC, Rabobank is the only team to have a Tour winner on its staff of directeurs sportifs: 1980 winner Joop Zoetemelk.

SAUNIER DUVAL-PRODIR (Sp)
Race numbers: 171-179
GC contender: Gilberto Simoni (I): Twice a Giro winner, Simoni nearly took his third last year, but fell short by less than 30 seconds. The veteran climber wants to bring a corsa rosa to his new team.
Others to watch: Marco Pinotti (I): Could surprise in one of the time trials.
Giro will be a success if: Simoni wins the overall and Pinotti shows well in a stage or two.
Directeur sportif: Joxean Fernandez
Equipment: Scott, Campagnolo
Trivia: Simoni has had six Giro podium finishes in the past seven years. He won by 7:31 in 2001 and 7:03 in 2003, the biggest two margins in the past 40 years.

SELLE ITALIA (Col)
Race numbers: 181-189
GC contender: José Rujano (Ven): The biggest GC surprise of the 2005 Giro, where he finished on the podium and took the KOM jersey.
Others to watch: Italian veteran Alessandro Bertolini and Colombian rookie José Serpa will shoot for stage wins.
Giro will be a success if: Rujano, now a known quantity, can again be a contender.
Directeur sportif: Marco Bellini
Equipment: Corratec, Shimano
Trivia: This is Rujano’s last race for Selle Italia; he joins Quick Step on June 1, with the Dauphiné and Vuelta as his next likely 2006 targets.

CSC (Dk)
Race numbers: 191-199
GC contender: Ivan Basso (I): Basso tore apart the climbing stages of the 2005 Giro until a stomach bug derailed his chances at the overall win. He’s looking for revenge in 2006.
Others to watch: Bobby Julich (USA) Julich will act as super-domestique to team leader Basso, but if the Colorado native pulls off a good TT, he could be in the mix should Basso falter.
Giro will be a success if: Basso wins the overall.
Directeur sportif: Bjarne Riis
Equipment: Cervélo, Shimano/FSA
Trivia: At age 36, Giovanni Lombardi has transformed himself from a sprinter and lead-out man to one of CSC’s most valued domestiques.

MILRAM (I)
Race numbers: 201-209
Best sprinter: Alessandro Petacchi (I): The gentleman sprinter has 19 Giro stage wins to his name, and this year he’ll be looking at the four stages with flat run-ins to rack up some more.
Others to watch: Fabio Sacchi (I): This Italian veteran has always been an opportunist who can win when it’s least expected.
Giro will be a success if: Petacchi wins two stages or more.
Directeur sportif: Antonio Bevilacqua
Equipment: Colnago, Shimano
Trivia: The successor of Domina Vacanze, this is still an Italian-based squad but has a German sponsor. Milram is a manufacturer of dairy products.

T-MOBILE (G)
Race numbers: 211-219
GC contender: Sergei Gontchar (Ukr): He finished on the podium in 2004, but he’s mainly riding this Giro to prove his worth as a team rider at the upcoming Tour.
Best sprinter: Olaf Pollack (G): At his best, he is capable of matching Petacchi or McEwen.
Other riders to watch: Jan Ullrich (G): The Kaiser finished 52nd in 2001, his only previous showing at the Giro. Like that year, Ullrich will use the race to prepare for the Tour. Michael Rogers (Aus): The three-time world time trial champ makes his Giro debut in 2006. If he scores a top TT placing, he could ride for a place in the top 10.
Giro will be a success if: Ullrich does well in the 50km time trial.
Directeur sportif: Mario Kummer
Equipment: Giant, Shimano
Trivia: At more than $18 million, T-Mobile has the biggest annual budget of all 20 ProTour teams.