Against the original plan, Tom-Jelte Slagter will now focus on making his debut in Tour de France, while skipping the Giro d'Italia which starts May 9.

Slagter was expected to ride Giro before season started, but the team was impressed by Slagter's performance and changed his mind. "We won't put any pressure on him, but I think he can go for a stage win there,"said Johnny Weltz, directeur sportif of Garmin-Sharp.

The Dutch rider's season is quite successful so far. He won two stages in Paris-Nice and then reached 5th in Fleche Wallonne and 6th in Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

This will be the first time for Slagter to ride the Tour de France. He is likely to have more freedom in Tour than in Giro, where the team will concentrate on GC success with the presence of Daniel Martin and Ryder Hesjedal.

For Giro, Slagter will be replaced by neo-pro Dylan van Baarle. "He has proved that he's a great engine. He can learn how to work for your leader there," Weltz said.