Andreas Pedroian (Brazil)

I was surprised by the fact that there are a very few Brazilian pro athletes in a field where American players have often been called to serve as ambassadors. And this year, the first of several that are coming will be former Olympian Pedroian. The 32 year-old Brazilian has been one of the best players in the country’s professional sport since breaking through for gold as a 16-year-old and he already has a gold medal in the 2016 Pan American Games. He doesn’t have much experience as an athlete, but he had a successful run as a coach with Brazilian rugby.

Nelson Piquet (Peru)

This year, there was very little chatter of Piquet after he retired from competitive cycling in 2009. There was also nothing in terms of his potential during his playing time; Piquet started the 2008-09 season with just seven appearances but he finished the campaign with 19. This year, after losing his place at the Tour du Haut Var, you will see the former Santos-Cocobolo champion more often at the highest level. However, Piquet will have to wait before you feel more comfortable about calling him a Brazilian pro athlete, especially in relation to his national team.

Giovani dos Santos (Brazil)

This is one of the few athletes from Brazil with more international commitments than a home-grown player and this year, he will join his friend and teammate Nairo Quintana (Movistar) for stage wins at Giro del Trentino, Vattenfall RideLondon, Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour de Suisse:

“I’m very happy to be back at the Tour,” he said after the recent Tour of Israel, in which he won two stages of his Tour de France debut in July and he got the opportunity to showcase his talents over several months at races in France and England.

“I feel good for my chances at the Giro and it was really nice to have the big race in England and I’m very happy to race on the road again, so I think it’s going to be a strong Giro, although I’ll still have to try and get some good results,” dos Santos said at the Tour de France.

Olivier Pichon (France)

Two-time overall, this year should see him get his chance with the GC-winning