Joe Dombrowski, who finished 17th in last week's Tour of the Alps, hampered by a 60-second litter penalty, is looking forward to his role supporting Miguel Angel Lopez in the Giro d'Italia.

"I was aiming for a top-10 GC finish," Dombrowski told Cycling News after the fourth stage of the Tour of the Alps, "but I got into a bit of a tussle with losing a minute." It was about throwing a bottle, but in the end I couldn't change the decision."

Dombrowski claimed he only littered once, but the penalty was for two violations on stage 4, which dropped him out of the top 10 contenders. Realistically," he said after the stage, "the GC contenders are very tough, so I don't think I'll be able to make the top 10. I'm not sure I can make the top 10," he said after the stage.

"Also, it's not easy to get into the breakaway because you're only a minute behind. So you're stuck. But that's the reality. Dombrowski, who finished 3:45 behind Romain Bardet in the overall standings, showed strong form to become Astana Kazakstan's top finisher. I've been in the lead group every day here," Dombrowski said. Conditions are good. The result is the result of a poor start to the season for the American rider. I started a little slow this season," he said. I had a bad crash in the Algarve and then I got sick. But things seem to be going in the right direction now. I think I'm on a good track for the Giro," he added. He said his role in the Giro is to support Miguel Angel Lopez and Vincenzo Nibali. We're going to the Giro with Miguel and Vicenzo," he said. And obviously, they are the leaders and my role is to work for them."

Even though Nibali was not named team leader, Dombrowski felt that the Italian former Giro winner could play an important role in the race. Vincenzo has a lot of experience. He's won every Grand Tour and he's a big name in cycling. And he will be motivated to do something good in his last year. Dombrowski was also excited about the form of Lopez, the Colombian who won stage four. 'Miguel, he's in great shape,' Dombrowski said. So I'm sure he'll do well."