Julien Bernard is committed to supporting Vincenzo Nibali in the Giro d'Italia, which will be re-competed later this year.

Nibali is looking for his third Giro d'Italia title, having won in 2013 and 2016. The 35-year-old, who moved to Trek-Segafredo over the winter after three years with Bahrain-Merida, will partner Bernard in the Giro.

Bernard and Nibali have raced only two one-day races since Nibali moved to Trek-Segafredo, the Royal Bernard-Drome Classic and the Von Ardèche Classic, but Bernard will play an important role in the mountains at the Giro. The Frenchman is currently on Trek-Segafredo's long list for the three-week Grand Tour and is excited to work with Nibali.

"I usually ride the Giro with Vincenzo. It's a big goal and I'm in good shape at the moment. Because he won the Giro before and we are going to try to replicate that," Bernard told Cycling News.

"I have really good memories of racing in the 2017 Giro. I rode the hardest stage of my life that year in Stelvio and I want to do it again like that."

While Bernard will be using the French racing scene to prepare for the Giro d'Italia, he is currently participating in the virtual Tour de France and recently won stage 2 with a nail-biting finish. la Route d'Occitanie in early August, likely to be the first real road race since the lifting of the COVID-19 blockade.

"Running for Nibali is an important job. As one of the climbers, he will have a big place on the team and I want to be in good condition."

Bernard, like most of the peloton, has not raced outdoors since March, but the Frenchman is an experienced Zwift athlete and, even before Lockdown, used his knowledge perfectly over the weekend to win the second stage of the virtual Tour de France!

The 28-year-old was part of the lead group that formed in the closing stages of the online race, and he fought off the rest of the pack in the final sprint. Bernard has already won the first stage of the Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var this year, but winning the online race gave him confidence.

"I don't sprint very often, but I know I'm pretty light and powerful, and that works well on Zwift, and it takes good tactics to wait for the right moment to sprint.

"This is virtual, but I'm still really happy to win. At Trek Segafredo, we've worked hard during the race break, and it's great to win.