Eddie Dunbar and Ryan Mullen set for Giro as Pogacar man to beat

Eddie Dunbar will lead the Irish challenge at this year's Giro d'Italia which begins on Saturday, while Ryan Mullen is also racing the prestigious tour.

Cork native Dunbar is looking to find the form that saw him compete in last year's three-week race, where he ended up in seventh place at the finish. He was fourth with two days remaining before illness hampered his final stages.

The Jayco-AlUla lead rider's build-up to this year's Grand Tour has been curtailed by injury, however, he has managed to work some races into his preparation for Italy by competing at the Tour de Romandie and the Itzulia Basque Country.

"It's hard to go into a three-week race and say what you want to get out of it, because so much can change day on day," said Dunbar, speaking in an extensive interview with Cycling News.

"I just want to get through the three weeks as best as possible and hopefully end up in a better position than last year. That would be a good achievement, I think."

Mullen races in the Bora-hansgrohe team and will be tasked with working as top sprinter Danny van Poppel's lead-out man.

Tadej Pogacar, however, is such a huge favourite for this year's Giro which starts in Turin, that the real battle looks like being for the runners-up spot.

The 25-year-old Slovenian, making his Giro debut, has been imperious this season, racking up seven wins in 10 days of racing including the Strade Bianche and Liege-Bastogne-Liege which he won with audacious long-range solos.

"He's doing something that's not normal and he can win every race he enters," retired Spanish great Alberto Contador said when looking ahead to the three-week battle around Italy.

"For me he is the best cyclist in the world. It's true he could have a crash or a mechanical problem but