Saturday 7 May 2016 01:49, UK
A selection of the best climbers and time-triallists in the world will challenge for victory at the Giro d’Italia this month.
Alberto Contador won last year's race but isn't back to defend his title, so a new champion will be crowned.
Here, we pick out the six leading contenders for the pink jersey…
Nationality: Italian Team: Astana Age: 31 Best Giro result: 1st (2013)
Nibali returns to his home grand tour after two years focusing on the Tour de France and is looking for a repeat of his dominant Giro win in 2013. This year's course suits him well, but his form going into the race is somewhat of an unknown given the up-and-down season he has had so far.
An overall victory at the Tour of Oman suggested he was in good shape, but he was well off the pace in his last race, the Giro del Trentino, and finished only 21st. However, Nibali is an outstanding grand tour rider and is almost certain to be challenging for victory.
Nationality: Spanish Team: Team Sky Age: 26 Best Giro result: 3rd (2015)
Landa leads a team in a grand tour for the first time after joining Team Sky on the back of a breakthrough year in 2015 in which he won two mountain stages and finished third overall at the Giro.
He is widely regarded as one of the best climbers in the sport and should be the man to beat on the mountain stages, but time-trialling has traditionally been a weak spot and so the three tests against the clock in this year's race will be a concern.
There is also a doubt over his race fitness. Landa was ill at the start of the year and although he had recovered enough to win last month's Giro del Trentino, whether he can sustain peak condition for three weeks remains to be seen.
Nationality: Spanish Team: Movistar Age: 36 Best Giro result: N/A
Incredibly, this will be the first time Valverde has ridden the Giro in his 15-year professional career, but his grand tour pedigree (he has finished on the podium in three of his past five grand tours) should ensure he is challenging for the pink jersey.
He also takes good form into the race, having won La Fleche Wallonne and the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon in recent weeks, as well as the Ruta del Sol earlier in the year. The main concern for Valverde is the race's three individual time trials, a discipline he tends to struggle in.
Nationality: Colombian Team: Cannondale Age: 29 Best Giro result: 2nd (2013 and 2014)
Uran has excellent pedigree in the Giro, having finished second overall in 2013 and 2014 and seventh in 2012. Over the past season or so his grand tour results have not been as good, but this year's Giro route suits him almost perfectly and he is likely to be highly motivated as a result.
Although he is not the best climber in the peloton, the Giro's summit finishes are not as hard as usual and that should help Uran greatly. He is also a time-trial specialist and could make big gains in the race's three tests against the clock.
Nationality: Russian Team: Katusha Age: 26 Best Giro result: 44th (2015)
Zakarin has been one of the surprise packages of the past season and a half and could be poised to mount his first serious challenge for victory at a grand tour over the next three weeks.
The Russian won last year's Tour de Romandie in what appeared a freak result at the time, but he has since proved himself to be one of the strongest climbers in the sport, and a decent time-triallist, too.
He also takes good form into the Giro, having finished seventh at both the Volta ao Algarve and Volta a Catalunya this year and fourth at both Paris-Nice and the Tour de Romandie.
Nationality: Dutch Team: Giant-Alpecin Age: 25 Best Giro result: N/A
While the Vuelta course didn't suit him well, the Giro should be much more to his taste given there are fewer summit finishes and a greater emphasis on time-trialling.
