While for the first time since several years Lotto Belisol line up at the Giro d’Italia with fairly serious contender for the general classification in a person of Maxime Monfort and Andre Greipel is still licking his wounds with Tour de France showing on his mind, Kenny Dehaes will return to the Italian grand tour event as their dedicated sprinter.

29-year old Dehaes debuted in a three-week long event in last year’s Giro d’Italia edition, and even though he never managed to finish a sprint stage within a top five, was still pleased with his appearance.

“It was better than I expected,” Dehaes recalled while talking to Sporza.

“There were only four or five bunch sprints, while this year even nine are expected. It provides more chances for a victory.”

The 29-year old Belgian remains realistic about his chances to go away with a stage victory, but still aims to significantly improve on his results obtained in the Italian grand tour last year.

“I want to finish in the top five few times, perhaps even in the top three. Anything more would be a bonus.”

While Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) dominated sprint stages of last year’s Giro d’Italia, his absence this year won’t make a huge difference to other fast finishers, as he will be replaced by Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano). Dehaes claims that the Giant-Shimano lead-out train still remains a step behind a powerful Omega Pharma-Quick Step machine, but still other sprinters would have to count on an unfortunate day of the Dutch team to go away with a stage victory.

“I think it’s going to be exactly the same.”

“In the end, [a situation] with Cavendish or Kittel is almost the same. Only when they have a bad day or their team fails I will be provided with a fair chance, otherwise it’s going to be difficult. Kittel rises above the whole field, Viviani is slightly behind him and the rest is more or less at the same level.”

Despite crashing hard at the Driedaagse De Panne, the Lotto Belisol sprinter has shown a promising disposition this season with valuable victories at the Nokere Koerse and Ronde van Drenthe. Dehaes believes that his form combined with better lead-out from his team mates should provide a satisfying outcome of their Giro d’Italia campaign.

“This year, though, I would have a better [lead out] train than last season,” he confirmed.

“It’s better than last year when we only had Hansen and Willems and still really pulled it out through the last kilometer.”

“Now there are Tosh Van der Sande and Dennis Vanendert, as well as Bak and Hansen as a year before, so we have quite a few man to lead me out through last kilometers. Last year, without a lead out train, my best result was seventh [place]. In other races, with a train, I managed to win. It helps a lot…”

Still, Dehaes remains realistic about his chances for a stage win.

“We didn’t race a lot in this configuration and since the Giro is a different level [of competition] than other races, only when others have a bad day and we have a super day, something beautiful is possible..”