Two years after the original plan, the Giro d'Italia kicks off Friday in Budapest, Hungary. This is the 14th time the Grand Tour has started outside of Italy, but not all riders have been impressed. Trek-Segafredo's Bauke Mollema said the entire trip has been "a pain in the ass."

"I don't have the Giro feeling yet. I've only been here one day," Mollema said at the pre-race press conference. After today's team presentation, I'll have a better feeling."

The team moved three stages from its usual base to the historic city before moving on to Sicily on Monday.

"This whole trip has been a pain, and it's pretty unpleasant not to start in Italy and have to fly in three days later," Mollema said.

"The rest day is not really a rest day either because of the move. It would have been better if we flew Sunday evening, but we don't fly until Monday morning. I'm happy when I'm in Italy." [The same accident that took world champion Julien Alaphilippe off the front line after he crashed in Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

"For the last two weeks I was as stiff as an old man. My back was pretty sore, but I also had problems with my ribs and knees," he said, confident that he was in good shape before Liège and hoping for a stage win.

Mollema, who made the podium at the 2011 Vuelta a España and has stage wins in both the Tour de France and Vuelta, will be looking for a breakaway, leaving the overall battle to his younger teammate, Giulio Ciccone.

"Going into the breakaway is less stressful than fighting for GC. I'm looking forward to it. I'll have to see how my legs are, but I'm ready. But it's too early to say which stages are suitable for a breakaway."

Ciccone has had bad luck in the last three Grand Tours, climbing to fourth overall in 2021 and finishing second in the Campo Felice stage of the Giro d'Italia before crashing. He also came close to the top 10 at the Vuelta a España, but crashed on stage 16 and retired.

"Ciccone is aiming for a good class," Morema said. 'Last year, he was in the front until he fell off the bike. He can do so again."