Chris Froome races for the first time in six weeks as part of high-calibre field at the Volta a Catalunya in Spain from Monday, March 21, to Sunday, March 27.
The Team Sky rider will be joined on the start line by Alberto Contador, Nairo Quintana, Fabio Aru, Richie Porte, Tejay van Garderen and Joaquim Rodriguez in what could turn into a prequel for this summer's Tour de France.
Here is what you need to know about the race…
THE STAGES
Stage 1: Monday, March 21 - Calella to Calella - 175.8km
The opening stage should end in a sprint, although the late climb of the Alt de Collsacreu means it could only be a reduced peloton that contests it.
Stage 2: Tuesday, March 22 - Mataro to Olot - 178.7km
Day two should also end in a sprint, but it is the fast men who don't mind a hill who are most likely to prevail given that the road rises up in the final 1km.
Stage 3: Wednesday, March 23 - Girona to La Molina - 172.1km
This is the first of two back-to-back summit finishes that are almost certain to decide the overall winner of the race. The climb to La Molina is the easier of the two, averaging 4.5 per cent in gradient and reaching a maximum of eight per cent over its 10.5km distance. Gaps between the overall contenders are usually no more than a handful of seconds on this climb. Joaquim Rodriguez and Tejay van Garderen won in the race's past two visits to La Molina.
Stage 4: Thursday, March 24 - Baga to Port Aine - 172.2km
The climb to Port Aine is 18.5km long, averages 6.8 per cent in gradient and reaches a maximum of 12 per cent, so it is a far sterner test than La Molina and the gaps between the contenders should be more significant. The first man to the summit could well end up being the overall winner.
Stage 5: Friday, March 25 - Rialp to Valls - 187.2km
The peloton is likely to split over the late, 4.1km climb of the Alt de Lilla and there's a good chance that the only riders left at the head of the race will be the contenders for overall victory. From there, it's a sprint for the win and the bonus seconds on offer.
Stage 6: Saturday, March 26 - Sant Joan Despi to Vilanova i la Geltru - 197.2km
This should be a day for the sprinters, although the breakaway may be allowed to stay clear to the finish.
Stage 7: Sunday, March 27 - Barcelona to Barcelona - 136.4km
On paper there is a lot of climbing on the final stage, but the Alt de Montjuic is not long enough or steep enough to create gaps between the overall contenders, so the order of the day will be to stay safe and consolidate positions in the general classification. The breakaway could once again be allowed to stay clear to the finish.
KEY STAGE
Stage four. The climb to Port Aine is the longer and steeper of the two summit finishes and is likely to create the biggest gaps between the contenders.
THE FAVOURITES
Chris Froome (Team Sky)
Froome's form is somewhat of an unknown given that his only outing this year was against a low-pedigree field in Australia right at the start of the season. However, he tends to be strong in the spring, and given that he has never finished on the podium in Catalunya, his motivation will be high.
Alberto Contador (Tinkoff)
Contador arrives in Spain after finishing third at the Volta ao Algarve last month and then second to Geraint Thomas at Paris-Nice last week. He already has a win on a summit finish to his name this year and looked sharp at Paris-Nice, so he should be in contention for overall. However, he first needs to get over a bout of cold.
Nairo Quintana (Movistar)
Much like Froome, Quintana will be an unknown quantity in Catalunya given that his last stage race was January's Tour de San Luis, where he finished third. He too is usually strong in the spring, but whether he has the race sharpness to match Contador remains to be seen.
Richie Porte (BMC Racing)
Porte returns as defending champion but will need to perform better than he did at Paris-Nice if he is to make it two wins in a row in Catalunya. The Australian couldn't keep pace with the likes of Contador and Thomas on Paris-Nice's main mountain stage, which doesn't bode well given that he will also be up against Froome and Quintana this week.
Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing)
Van Garderen had hoped to arrive in Spain on the back of challenging for overall victory at Tirreno-Adriatico, but the cancellation of the key mountain stage denied him the chance to test his climbing legs and he ultimately finished 25th. However, he was second overall at the Ruta del Sol a month ago and won on La Molina last year, so expect him to be competitive.
Fabio Aru (Astana)
Aru has had a quiet start to the season, finishing sixth at the Volta a la Communitat Valenciana and then ninth at the Volta ao Algarve last month. He doesn't tend to reach his best form until late spring, so a podium finish is perhaps the most we can expect from the Italian.
Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha)
Rodriguez won the 2010 and 2014 editions of the Volta a Catalunya and finished second in 2013, so this is a race he enjoys. Like Van Garderen, he too was denied a shot at a summit finish at Tirreno-Adriatico by snow, but he should be there or thereabouts on one or both La Molina and Port Aine.
BRIT WATCH
Hugh Carthy (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Chris Froome (Team Sky), Ben Swift (Team Sky), Geraint Thomas (Team Sky).
TIME BONUSES
Ten, six and four bonus seconds will be awarded to the first three finishers on each stage.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
2015: Richie Porte (Aus).
2014: Joaquim Rodriguez (Esp).
2013: Dan Martin (Irl).
2012: Michael Albasini (Sui).
2011: Michele Scarponi (Ita).
2010: Joaquim Rodriguez (Esp).
2009: Alejandro Valverde (Esp).
2008: Gustavo Cesar Veloso (Esp).
2007: Vladimir Karpets (Rus).
2006: David Canada (Esp).