Canadian Ryder Hesjedal to lead Garmin-Sharp at Giro d’Italia

Canadian Ryder Hesjedal and Ireland's Dan Martin will lead Team Garmin-Sharp at the 2014 Giro d'Italia.

Hesjedal won the 2012 Giro, the first Canadian to win one of cycling's Grand Tour events.

The 33-year-old from Victoria made headlines of a different sort last October when he responded to doping allegations by saying he had chosen the wrong path.

He escaped sanction because the alleged 2003 transgression was outside the World Anti-Doping Code's eight-year statute of limitations.

Garmin-Sharp backed Hesjedal because he agreed to work with U.S. doping authorities.

The 97th edition of the Giro starts Friday in Belfast with a field of 198. The race ends June 1 in the northeastern port city of Trieste.