While the classics are about to come to an end, the cycling world prepares to turn its attention from the one-day races to the Grand Tours. The first of those, the Giro d'Italia, starts less than two weeks after the conclusion of Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and while the best one-day racers battle it out in Belgium, most of the major GC contenders for the Italian race will use this week's traditional warm-up race, Giro del Trentino, to finalize their preparations on a very mountainous course that offers the perfect gauge of who's on form for the big one in Italy.

 

The professional cycling season is divided into several phases that suit different kinds of riders. After the many preparation races in January and February, Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico give the stage racers a chance to shine before a special type of classics riders take the spotlight in Milan-Sanremo and the cobbled classics. That part comes to an end with Paris-Roubaix by which time the lighter guys take over in the Ardennes classics before we head into the grand tour season.

 

While the Ardennes classics stars are in the most important part of their season, the Giro contenders are now finalizing their preparations for the next big change on the cycling calendar. For many years most riders regarded the Tour de Romandie with its long history and hard climbs as the perfect preparation for the Giro d'Italia. The finish of the Swiss race just one week prior to the start of the big objective made it the perfect event to fine-tune the condition ahead of the major battles in the Italian mountains. Meanwhile, the mountainous Giro del Trentino held one week earlier was a mostly Italian affair in which the home country's heroes could gauge their form ahead of their big national event.

 

The regional tour in one of the most mountainous areas of Italy was first held in 1962 but after just two editions, the race disappeared. However, the idea of hosting a preparation event for the Italian grand tour was simply too obvious to resist and the race was back on the calendar in 1979 when Knut Knudsen took a very rare foreign win in Trentino.

 

Since then the race has always offered the first big dress rehearsal for the Giro between the local heroes, giving the Italian fans a chance to see which of their own riders was on form ahead of the three-week race. Francesco Moser and Giuseppe Saronni were both among the early winners and since then Claudio Chiappucci, Gianni Bugno, Paolo Savoldelli, Gilberto Simoni, Damiano Cunego, Vincenzo Nibali, Ivan Basso and Michele Scarponi have all won the event before going on to please the home public in the Giro. However, the race was one that mostly attracted Italian teams and riders while the international riders saved their legs for Romandie.

 

In recent years, this trend has changed. While the Swiss race is now mostly the final early-season objective for some of the Tour de France contenders or a perfect occasion for the classics riders to showcase their form one last time before a well-deserved rest, the Italian race has emerged as the preferred preparation not only for the Italian riders but also the biggest international stars.

 

The race has still mostly been won by Italians but Alexandre Vinokourov's victory in the 2010 edition proved that foreign Giro contenders could also be competitive. In 2012 the race saw a further internationalization of its line-up with Astana, Ag2r-La Mondiale and BMC all using the race as a key build-up for their Giro captains Roman Kreuziger, John Gadret and Marco Pinotti and in 2013 the race was a real dress rehearsal between the two pre-race favourites for the Giro, Bradley Wiggins and Vincenzo Nibali, with eventual Giro runner-up Cadel Evans giving the event even more international flavour. Last year Evans, Domenico Pozzovivo, Fabio Aru and Michele Scarponi were among the pre-race Giro favourites and they were all at the start line in Trentino.

 

This year the race continues its internationalization as Sky, Ag2r, Cannondale-Garmin and Astana will make sure that no less than four foreign WorldTour teams will be at the start. However, BMC and Lampre-Merida who have usually been at the start, have both decided to skip the race and this year the field is slightly less star-studded that it has been in the fast. Furthermore, the two of the biggest Giro stars won’t be present as Alberto Contador and Rigoberto Uran will both skip the race but Fabio Aru, Richie Porte and Domenico Pozzovivo who are all among the biggest favourites for the maglia rosa, will all be at the start in Trentino.

 

It is no surprise to see the race emerge as the preferred preparation event for the Italian grand tour. Held in the Dolomites, it offers an important opportunity to test the legs in mountains similar to the ones found in May's big race and with limited kilometres of flat roads in the Trentino region, it is one of the most pronounced mountain races of the year. In fact, it is one of the few big stage races that a pure climber may win without having to be too concerned with TT skills. Furthermore, the race finishes more than two weeks before the start of the Italian grand tour, and nowadays riders seem to prefer more rest ahead of the start of a three-week race.

 

The race plays the same role for the Tour de France as the Criterium du Dauphine does for the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Burgos for the Vuelta a Espana. All three races are held in some of the mountainous parts of their countries and take place just a few weeks prior to their national grand tour. Hence, it is no surprise to see all three races gaining popularity as preparation races.

 

This year the race was at risk of cancellation due to the economic crisis that has marred Italian cycling. However, the organizers managed to save the race by joining forces with the Trofeo Melinda one-day race that was also at risk of extinction. Those two races have now merged into one four-day event and stage 4 will incorporate a portion of the Trofeo Melinda course and honour the organizers of that race who passed away lay year.

 

Last year the race turned into a big battle between Cadel Evans and Domenico Pozzovivo and it was the Australian who came out on top, with his great performances making him one of the three biggest Giro favourites. After his BMC team had won the team time trial, the Australian took the lead on the second day after he had finished fourth behind solo winner Edoardo Zardini. One day later he won stage 3 after a big duel with Pozzovivo before controlling things in the final stage to the top of Monte Bondone which was won by brave attacker Mikel Landa. Pozzovivo had to settle for second while Przemyslaw Niemiec completed the podium. With Evans having retired and Lampre-Merida skipping the race, Pozzovivo will be the only rider from last year’s top 3 to be back in Trentino as he hopes to repeat his 2012 win in the race.

 

The course

The Giro del Trentino has always been a race for climbers and the four-day race is littered with mountain stages. Unless they want to tune in their climbing legs for the Giro, the sprinters have very little incentive to fight through four hard days of climbing as they have rarely any opportunity to shine. In the past, the race often included a flat stage for the fast finishers but since 2010 no stage has ended in a bunch sprint, with the sprinters missing out when they were given a chance two years ago. This year there won’t be any opportunities for the fast finishers either and like always this is a race of tough climbing.

 

In the past few years, the race has mostly been made up of three mountain stages and a timed event which often used to be an individual time trial but has changed to a team time trial recently. In 2012, the organizers put together a simply brutal course that consisted of an opening team event and then three consecutive mountain stages, with the penultimate stage including the brutally steep Punta Veleno climb. In 2013 the organizers presented a more balanced course that offered a flatter stage, two summit finishes, a team time trial and a lumpy breakaway stage while they returned to a harder format for last year’s race that had a team time trial and three big summit finishes.

 

This year the race is back to an easier format but it will still be a race for the climbers. Again there will be no individual time trial and the climbers will be able rely on their teams to limit their losses or even gain time on their rivals in the well-known opening team time trial. Then it is into the mountains for two tough summit finishes that will make sure that this race is likely to be won by the best climber but this year the final climbs are not very tough. This means that it may suit the punchier guys a bit better than it usually does and the time gaps may be a bit smaller than usual. Furthermore, there won’t be a third mountaintop finish in 2015 as the final stage ends on a lumpy circuit that could make Friday a day for a breakaway and is unlikely to change the top end of the overall standings.

 

Stage 1:

Starting in the Austrian city of Lienz with an opening day consisting of two half-stages, the 2013 edition was an exception from a general rule introduced in 2008. Since that year the race has always started with a pancake flat timed event near the Lake Garda and last year the race was back to that format which will be repeated in 2015.

 

Until 2011 the opening stage was an individual time trial but for the past three years, the timed stage has been a team event. This year it will again be a team time trial that opens the race, with the riders covering 13.3 entirely flat kilometres starting on the shores on the lake in Riva del Garda and finishing in Arco.

 

The race takes place on flat, long, straight, wide roads which are ideal for the teams to test their performances in view of the team time trial in the upcoming Giro d’Italia. The stage begins in the Fraglia della Vela neighbourhood of Riva del Garda right next to the lake and runs along the lakefront until Linfano where it turns inland towards Arco. Then it returns towards Riva del Garda before making its final

turn towards the finish line in Arco. Intermediate timekeeping will be done in San Giorgio.

 

It is a fast course where average speeds above 50 km/h are foreseeable. The first part of the stage is non-technical and will leave plenty of room for the big specialists to go at full speed but after the intermediate check at the 6.4km mark, the riders will negotiate 7 sharp turns that will challenge the cohesion. However, it doesn't change the fact that this is a stage for the real tempo specialists that will have plenty of room to excel but in such a short team time trial, time gaps are usually rather small.

 

The team time trial almost has the same length as it has had for the past hree years but is slightly shorter than it was in 2012 and 2013. It is held on the exact same course that was used for the opening individual time trial in 2011 when Andreas Klöden beat Adriano Malori by just a single second to take the first leader's jersey in the race, and it is identical to the one that was used last year when BMC took the win to put Daniel Oss in the leader’s jersey. In 2012, the American beat Astana by 10 seconds to put Taylor Phinney in the overall lead while Team Sky were 13 seconds faster than Astana on the flat course in Lienz in 2013.

 

 

 

Stage 2:

After an opening stage for the time triallists, the Giro del Trentino turns its focus to what the race is all about: tough climbing in the high mountains. From now on all stages include tough climbs, with the riders tackling the first of two consecutive summit finishes on the second day. With the stage taking off from the flat area along the Lake Garda and only gradually heading into the mountains, it may be the easiest of the duo but the 168.2km from Dro to the top of the Brentonico have the potential do a lot of damage.

 

The stage starts in Dro starting and ends in Brentonico and will face the demanding 12.4 km. climb to the Monte Velo (altitude 1170m), the only HC category climb of this edition with inclines averaging 8.4% and reaching 13%. After leaving the small Garda Trentino town which is famous for its prunes, the race goes through Arco and Riva del Garda to start the uncategorized climb which leads to Val di Ledro. After 63 km, it reaches the intermediate sprint in Roncone and heads to the Valli Giudicarie and the feed zone in Tione (km 73.5) to then descend along an at times narrow road to Sarche. Then there is the climb to the first KOM (km 116.3) on the Sant’Udalrico Pass (2nd category - altitude 584 m.) which is a long ascent with gradients mostly below 5%, and the descent along a wide road towards Drena to then return to Dro and head once again towards Arco.

 

After going through San Martino it continues along an at times narrow road to Massone and once it reaches Bolognano there is the start of the relentlessly steep climb to Monte Velo. The only break is at the 9th km. where, for less than a km. the incline is much softer with even a very brief descent. The last km. of the climb towards the Santa Barbara Pass – Monte Velo (HC) has an average 6% incline but for most of the time, it averages 8-9%.  From the pass (altitude 1170 m.), there is a fast 13km descent along a wide very well paved road leading to Loppio and after 3km of flat terrain it reaches Mori and the last climb towards Brentonico.

 

In Besagno the race makes a right turn to start the unprecedented climb to Castione , which is famous for its chestnuts. The first 2.5 km. are very soft leading to the following 1.5km with inclines averaging 10% and peaks up to 15%. The last km leading to the KOM (2nd category – altitude 695 m) and finnish line in Brentonico is all straight and with a slight descent.

 

With time gaps still being small, there is no doubt that this is a day for the GC riders and they will make sure that the stage is firmly controlled. The penultimate climb is by far the hardest of the entire race but the final ascent is pretty easy and only includes one very steep section between the 2.5km and 1.5km to go marks. However, the distance between the top of the Monte Velo and the finish is pretty short and this means that we can expect a huge selection to be made already on the main climb where we may even see some attacks from some of the favourites. However, the final battle will take place on the final climb where the difference has to be made on the steep section. With it being rather short, however, the finale suits the punchy guys a bit more than the pure climbers who will also regret the fact that the final 500m are completely flat, meaning that sprinting skills may play a role in determining the winner of the first big battle in the Trentino mountains.

 

The final climb to Brentonico has not been used in recent editions of the race. Last year the second stage finished on the nearby San Giacomo di Brentonico which is located in the same park and is both harder and longer. Here Edoardo Zardini made  solo attack on the final climb and managed to ride away with the win, distancing Przemyslaw Niemiec, Fabio Duarte and Cadel Evans by 19 seconds.

 

 

 

Stage 3:

While the first mountain stage had most of its climbing located near the end, the second battle between the favourites will be a day of constant ups and downs. There may not be any very long or very steep climbs but there will be little room for recovery during the 183.8km from Ala to another summit finish in Fierozzo val dei Mocheni. Like in the previous stage, however, the final climb is not very tough and it is the combined strains of the many ascents that will make the difference.

 

The third stage starts in Ala, the town of velvet, and after parading through the old centre, it takes the SS12 road, where there is the official start of the race, to then head north along the Vallagarina on a flat road until Mattarello where there is the start of the first uncategorized climb to Vigolo Vattaro (altitude 737 m). It then enters the Valsugana where, after 84 km, there is the intermediate sprint (Borgo) and the feed zone in Roncegno (88 km). Then there is the climb to the first KOM (km 118) in Montagnaga on the Pinè Plateau (2nd category – altitude 939 m) which is a 6.5km ascent with a gradient of mostly between 7 and 8%, and after a few flat km. it reaches Fornace (km 126) where there is the feed zone.

 

After that the race enters the enchanted Mòcheni Valley to reach Sover where, after 146 km., there is the start of the climb to the second KOM on the Redebus Pass (1st category – altitude 1453 m). A very slight incline leads to the hardest part: a 5km climb with inclines averaging over 10% and at times even reaching 13%. The top comes with 22.2km to go and they are made up of a long descent that leads directly to the bottom of the final climb. It is an 8km ascent which is highly irregular. The first 5.5km have a few sections with double-digit gradients but the final 3.5km are significantly easier. The final steeper ramp comes with around 3km to go where there is a short 10.3% section and from there the gradient stay around 4-5.5%.

 

Bigger time gaps will now have opened up and this means that a breakaway may have a chance in this stage. On the other hand, the race is loaded with excellent climbers who all want to win a stage before they line up at the Giro and history shows that escapees rarely have a chance in the Giro del Trentino. This means that it is likely to come down to a big battle between the GC riders on the final two climbs. Like in the previous stage, the hardest climb is the penultimate ascent and this is where the big difference can be made. There’s no flat road in the valley and this means that we may see some attacking already from afar. However, the best climbers are still likely to battle it out on the final climb and with the hardest parts coming at the beginning, they have to attack from a bit further out in this new finale.

 

 

 

Stage 4:

Apart from the time trials along the shores of Lake Garda, there are never completely flat stages in the Giro del Trentino which is a race made for pure climbers. Of course the final stage of this year’s race also ventures into the high mountains but this time, however, the final big climb comes far from the finish and instead the race finishes on a difficult circuit that is more made for puncheurs. This could open the door for a different kind of riders than those who usually excel on the long climbs in Trentino.

 

The last stage of the Giro del Trentino – Melinda, starting in Malé and ending in Cles, is 161.5km long and takes place entirely on the roads of the Non and Sole Valleys in memory of the historical Trofeo Melinda organiser Marco Brentari who passed away in March of last year. Starting from Malé in the Sole Valley, the race heads along rolling roads for the Non Valley reaching the intermediate sprint in Romeno after 47 km. Then there are the two 2nd category KOMs of the day. The first one is in Fondo (73.1km – altitude 1020m) and is short and easy and two km after that there is the feed zone of Sarnonico. After the pass, there is a long descent leading into Sanzeno followed by the climb to the Predaia Pass (101km – altitude 1250m) which is 11.5km long and mostly has a gradient of 6-7%.

 

After the long descent into Cles where the race crosses the finish line for the first time it then begins a 14 km loop to be done twice going through the towns of Cles, Tassullo, Nanno and Tuenno once again in the beautiful springtime landscape of the blossoms of the famous Melinda apple trees. The first part of the loop is a descent on a wide road leading into Tassullo and when it reaches Nanno, it narrows and there is a 2.5km climb with 700m presenting an approximately 11% incline. After it reaches the top in Tuenno there is a roughly 3 km long slight descent leading to the finish line in the centre of Cles.

 

With the tough climbing on the finishing circuit, this is definitely not a stage for the sprinters but it is not one for the pure climbers either. With no obvious favourite, it seems to be a perfect day for a breakaway of strong climbers who can survive the big climbs and the midpoint and has the punch to finish it off. The GC battle is likely to have been decided but with 700m of 11%, we are likely to see some attacks from the favourites in the finale. It will be very hard for anyone to maintain a difference all the way to the finish and the top of the GC is unlikely to change on the final day even though no one can rule out a surprise in this difficult terrain.

 

Cles last hosted a stage of the Giro del Trentino in 2006 when Damiano Cunego beat arch-rival Gilberto Simoni in a sprint from a small group to take the leader’s jersey on the second day of the race. He would go on to win the race overall.

 

 

 

The weather

It's risky business to send the riders into the high mountains at this time of the year and so the weather plays a huge role in a race like the Giro del Trentino as mountain stages may be altered or cancelled in case of bad weather. At the same time, the riders clearly prefer to have nice conditions for a preparation event as illness at this time of the year would be disastrous.

 

At the moment, the weather in Trentino is not too good Saturday will be a very rainy day at the Lake Garda. However, things will improve in time for the race as bright sunshine is expected for the first two days. A few more clouds may appear for Thursday’s race and a bit of rain may fall on Friday but there will be no risk of alterations to the mountain stages. Every day there will be a temperature of 15-18 degrees in the valley while there will barely be any wind at all.

 

The favourites

Like most other preparation races, the Giro del Trentino is always a strange affair that can be a bit difficult to predict. Some riders are usually very strong in their build-up events while others take it a bit easier before coming out with all guns blazing at their biggest races. Even though everybody is looking for positive signs and would love to achieve a notable result, the Giro contenders head into the race with very different expectations.

 

Things become even more complicated by the fact that many arrive at the race straight from a high-altitude training camp. The riders may not have fully recovered from their hard training and even though they are far off the pace, it is not always a pure reflection of their form. A poor showing in Trentino cannot be used to rule out a strong performance in the Giro.

 

Compared to the other big grand tour preparation event, Criterium du Dauphiné, Tour de Suisse and Vuelta a Burgos, the Giro del Trentino is a bit different in the sense that almost all contenders are using it as build-up for the Giro. The Tour and Vuelta build-up races can be targets for riders that come out of a grand tour with a solid level of form but in Trentino it would be a big surprise if the winner will not be at the start line in Sanremo in a few weeks time. Furthermore, it has been become increasingly popular for non-Giro riders to do the Trentino-Liege double and this year Romain Bardet is among the riders who will use the Italian race to get ready for the Belgian classic which is his big goal in the early part of the season.

 

In 2013, the race had a fantastic start list that included both the big favourites for the Giro but last  year the race has not been able attract the biggest names for the grand tour. Pre-Giro favorities Nairo Quintana and Joaquim Rodriguez were not on the start line but Fabio Aru, Cadel Evans, Michele Scarponi, Przemyslaw Niemiec and Domenico Pozzovivo who were all expected to lead their teams in the Italian grand tour, used the race as a final hit-out and they all showed good condition.

 

This year five riders are generally tipped to dominate the Giro and three of those will be at the start in Trentino. Alberto Contador won’t do any more racing before the Italian grand tour and Rigoberto Uran will follow the old-school approach of testing his form in Romandie but Fabio Aru, Domenico Pozzovivo and Richie Porte will all be ready to animate the racing in the Trentino mountains.

 

The Giro del Trentino has always been all about climbing and with two tough stages in the high mountains, there is no doubt that the main differences will be made on the climbs. However, none of the two summit finishes are overly tough and it will be hard for the GC riders to make a difference on the final day. This means that the race could easily be decided by seconds and this makes the opening team time trial more important than usual. In such a short test, time gaps are usually very small but it may turn out to be a very important day.

 

With three of the Giro favourites on the start line, it is hard not to regard the race as a battle between Richie Porte, Fabio Aru and Domenico Pozzovivo. Those three riders are all expected to be in contention for the podium in the Italian grand tour and for them it is their most important pre-Giro test. Pozzovivo and Aru are both scheduled to ride in Liege too but this is the race that will make sure that they are ready to go when they roll down the ramp for the opening team time trial in the beginning of May.

 

Last year Richie Porte was expected to use this race as the final build-up race for the Giro which was set to be his first big chance to go for victory in a grand tour. However, the Australian had a terrible illness-marred season and he never got to the start line in Trentino as he had already been forced to change his plans and skip the Giro. This year he has again been given the chance to lead Team Sky in the Italian grand tour and now he finds himself in the completely opposite situation.

 

Porte has had an outstanding season so far. Already in November, he claimed to be 5kg lighter than usual at that time of the year and this was evident as soon as he started to race. In Australia, he crushed the opposition with a storming ride in the national TT championships and even though he failed to win the Tour Down Under, he underlined his position as the best climber in the race by winning the queen stage. Back in Europe, he rode in support of Geraint Thomas at the Volta ao Algarve but showed impressive strength by winning the queen stage despite having done an awful lot of work for his Welsh teammate.

 

That performance made Porte the big favourite for Paris-Nice which he won in his usual dominant fashion. Finally, he lined up as a support rider for Chris Froome at the Volta a Catalunya but as the Brit was not at his best, Porte took over the leadership. Despite being up against the likes of Alberto Contador, Rigoberto Uran, Alejandro Valverde, Aru and Pozzovivo, Porte turned out to be the strongest climber in the race and by winning the race, he confirmed his status as the best rider in the early part of the season.

 

Since then Porte has been training at altitude and now he is ready to test his condition in Trentino. As said, Porte has not had the chance to be the sole grand tour leader since his debut season at Saxo Bank and so he finds himself in untested territory. However, he is usually pretty strong in his preparation races as he finished second in the 2013 Criterium du Dauphiné before going on to ride an excellent Tour de France. Hence, there is no reason to suggest that he will not be at a very high level in Trentino.

 

Sky are usually among the best teams for the team time trials and they should again be one of the strongest on the opening day. They may not have their best team for this test in this race but with Porte, Leopold König, Kanstantsin Siutsou and an in-form David Lopez, they should do well. They will be up against a very strong Astana team and may lose a bit of time but there is little doubt that Porte should get the race off to a solid start.

 

Then it will all come down to the battle in the high mountains. Porte is better suited to the more gradual, consistent climbs in France than the irregular Italian ascents but we still expect him to be the strongest climber in this race. This year there are no brutally steep climbs and in fact the two mountain stages suit Porte pretty well. The final climbs only have some pretty short sections that are very hard and this is where the best GC riders have to make a difference. Porte has often proved that he has a punchy acceleration in such sections and he should find the terrain to his liking. The less severe climbing is an advantage for Porte compared to a pure climber like Aru and with his outstanding performances in the early part of the year, Porte is our favourite to win the race.

 

His biggest rival is likely to be Domenico Pozzovivo. The tiny Italian has an outstanding track record in the Italian race which is perfectly suited to his skills as a pure climber. Hence, it is no surprise that he has already won the race once, taking the win in 2012 after demolishing the opposition on the brutally steep Punta Veleno climb.

 

For several years, Pozzovivo failed to live up to his lofty promises and he always seemed to disappoint in the Giro while he rode as Bardiani captain. That trend changed in 2012 when he not only won in Trentino but also took a stage and did well in the overall at  the Italian grand tour.

 

Since joining Ag2r, he has continued his upwards trajectory and in 2013 he was on track for a great Giro when he seemed to be the only one that could match Wiggins, Nibali and Santambrogio on the Trentino climbs. Unfortunately, he broke a rib on the penultimate stage which severely hampered his preparation and as he also suffered a crash in the three-week race itself, he had to settle for 10th.

 

He bounced back with a very strong showing in the Vuelta where he finished 6th overall and in 2014 he took another step up. He was riding excellently in the early part of the season and finished in the top 10 in all races he finished – both one-day and stage races. In Trentino, he went head-to-head with Cadel Evans but came up short against the veteran Australian before he got very close to the win in his first Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

 

Despite suffering a very bad injury in the second half of 2014, Pozzovivo has been even stronger in 2015 and he has now earned a reputation as being one of the most consistent riders. He was already one of the best climbers in the Tour Down Under and even though he had to make a break from racing and training to undergo surgery, he was back at a very high level in Tirreno-Adriatico where he again finished in the top 10. Finally, he finished on the podium and took a rare stage victory in the Volta a Catalunya before he started to focus fully on the Giro.

  

While many riders struggle a bit in their preparation races, Pozzovivo has always been riding really well in Trentino and it would be a surprise if this year is any different. In fact he has finished in the top 5 every year since 2008, with 2013 of course being an unfortunate exception. Again he arrives straight from a hard block of training but the tiny Italian seems to be able to handle the burden.

 

Pozzovivo excels on very steep climbs that are not too long and he would probably have preferred some harder finishing climbs. On the other hand, he has a decent punch on short, steep sections and that is probably what will be decisive in this race. His main challenge will be to limit his losses in the opening team time trial where Ag2r have never done too well and it will be very important that Jean-Christophe Peraud, Patrick Gretsch and Hugo Houle are firing on all cylinders on the opening day. Nonetheless, he is likely to find himself with a time loss on the opening day but if anyone is able to make it up in the mountains, Pozzovivo could be the man.

 

In a very short time, Fabio Aru has managed to position himself as one of the best climbers in the world and due to his young age, there is still room for plenty of progress. In 2014, he was not far off Nairo Quintana in the Giro and he was even better in the Vuelta where he was up against the likes of Chris Froome and Alberto Contador. This year he is likely to be even closer to the best and the early part of the year suggests that he has taken another step up.

 

Aru may not have been able to follow the very best in Paris-Nice and Volta a Catalunya but that is no big surprise. The Astana leader has rarely been too good at this time of the year and in fact he has been riding better than usual. His main goal is to be ready for the Giro and history shows that he knows how to time his condition for the grand tours.

 

Since the Catalonian race, Aru has been training with Vincenzo Nibali on Mount Teide and their trainer Paolo Slongo has detailed the massive workload they have done during their stint at altitude. Aru will now use the Giro del Trentino and Liege-Bastogne-Liege to polish his condition and there is no doubt that he will be among the best on the climbs.

 

However, Aru has never been at 100% in Trentino and we don’t expect that trend to change in 2015. This will make it hard for him to match an in-form Richie Porte and he won’t get any help from the course. The easier climbs don’t suit his pure climbing skills very well and he would definitely have preferred last year’s tougher route. On the other hand, Astana come into the race with a very strong team that include the likes of Dario Cataldo, Tanel Kangert and Luis Leon Sanchez who will provide plenty of firepower for the opening team time trial and this may give the Italian a head start before they get to the mountains. There seems to be no limit to Aru’s potential and it is definitely not beyond his reach to defend that advantage in the two tough climbing stages.

 

One of the surprise inclusions on the start list is Romain Bardet. The Frenchman had made it clear that the Ardennes classics were his first big goals of the year but apparently he has changed his mind. He has decided to skip both Amstel Gold Race and Fleche Wallonne and instead he will use Giro del Trentino to get ready for Liege-Bastogne-Liege which is probably at the top of his list of priorities.

 

Bardet has not had the season he was hoping for. He looked strong in February but he was hugely disappointed after Paris-Nice where he failed to reach his best level. He crashed out of the Volta a Catalunya and it may be that tumble which has forced him to change his plans.

 

It remains to be seen what level he is at but with Liege coming up he can’t be too far from his best. The Belgian classic may be his main focus and so he may hold something back in this race but history shows that it is definitely possible to be at a high level in both races – just ask his teammate Pozzovivo. At his best, Bardet is an excellent climber and he can allow himself to be at a higher level than the Giro contenders who have to peak a little later. Like Pozzovivo, he will lose time in the team time trial but the Ag2r trio that also includes Jean-Christophe Peraud will be hard to beat in the mountains.

 

It was a surprise to see Jean-Christophe Peraud in the Ag2r line-up as the Frenchman has usually skipped this race. However, he is not a rider for the Ardennes classics and as he has had a slow start to the year due to injury, he is keen to have one final hit-out before his last big goal in the spring season at the Tour de Romandie.

 

In the last few years, Peraud has developed into one of the most consistent stage race riders but due to his injury he has been off the pace in the early part of the year. Nonetheless, he surprised himself when he managed to defend his title in the Criterium International and this made him optimistic for Vuelta al Pais Vasco which was his first big goal. However, that race revealed that he was still not at 100% and he suffered a lot on the Basque roads.

 

Since then he is is likely to have improved and he should be a lot better in Trentino. His main goal is the Tour de Romandie whose course suits him a lot better but he should be good in this race too. In the Tour de France, he proved that he is one of the best climbers in the world and he should find this hilly route to his liking. Of course he would have preferred an individual time trial as it would have allowed him to gain time on most of his rivals. Now he will have to make up for his losses in the team time trial but as he combines forces with Pozzovivo and Bardet, Ag2r have the strongest teams for the mountain stages and this could play into the hands of the veteran Frenchman

 

Cannondale-Garmin go into this race with their two Giro captains Ryder Hesjedal and Davide Formolo. While the Canadian is rarely at his best in his preparation races, we can expect great things from Formolo who is one of the greatest climbing talents. In his first professional season, he was already dropping his rivals on the climbs in the Italian one-day races in February and after having recovered from a bout of chickenpox, he went on to impress in the early part of the summer. In his first WorldTour race Tour de Suisse, he finished in the top 10 but his most impressive performance came at the Italian Championships where an in-form Vincenzo Nibali was unable to distance the Italian youngster.

 

The performances have created huge expectations for Formolo who is seen as the next Italian grand tour winner after Nibali and Aru. After a good start in Mallorca, however, he has been set back by illness and until now, he has been far from the level that made him a star in 2014.

 

Formolo’s main goal is to be ready for the Giro and such a talented and serious rider doesn’t need an awful lot of training and racing to reach his highest level. It may still be too early for him to be with the very best on the climbs but due to his huge talents, we won’t be surprised if he is among the strongest in the Giro del Trentino. Unfortunately, Cannondale-Garmin don’t have a very good team for the team time trial and so Formolo will have to make up some time in the mountains. However, the Italian climber can do some serious damage if he has finally found his best legs.

 

Richie Porte is clearly the Sky leader but both in Trentino and the Giro, the British team have a second option. Leopold König will have a protected role in the Italian grand tour and may also be given the chance to ride for GC in this race.

 

In 2013 and 2014, König proved his great talent at the grand tour level as he finished in the top 10 in the Vuelta and the Tour, the first two grand tours of his career. He proved that he is both very consistent and has the versatility that is needed to shine in a three-week race. He may not be among the best climbers but he is not far off and he rarely has a bad day. Furthermore, he has developed into an excellent time triallist and there is no doubt that he has a great future in three-week races.

 

However, his first year at Sky has not been very successful. He looked strong in Mallorca in January but since then he has been far from his usual level. However, König has never been very consistent throughout the year but he seems to be able to find his form for his big goals. Trentino may come a bit too early for him but he can’t allow himself to be too far from his best level. If Porte falters, he will be ready to strike and this could allow him to be up there with the best.

 

Astana also have a few other options and it seems that Mikel Landa could be their best card in addition to Aru. The Basque has always been a great climber but he is very inconsistent. When he is at his best, however, he has proved that he is capable of big things as he showed by winning big mountain stages in the Vuelta a Burgos, last year’s Giro del Trentino and the Vuelta al Pais Vasco just a few weeks ago.

 

Landa has been set back by illness but it seems that he is timing his condition for the Giro perfectly. Due to his inconsistency and poor time trialling, he is unlikely to become a great stage racer but this relatively short race with no ITT should suit him well. He is part of an Astana team which should be among the best in the team time trial and he may be strong enough to hold onto an advantage in the mountains. The combined strength of the Astana team may give them room to ride offensively and this could benefit an aggressive rider like the in-form Landa.

 

Last year Edoardo Zardini finally confirmed his huge talent when he took a fantastic stage win in the first mountain stage. He faltered a bit later in the race and was unable to maintain his high level for the entire race but the performance showed that we can expect great things from the Italian climber. In the autumn, he confirmed that it was not a one-hit wonder when he won the Tour of Britain queen stage – dropping Michal Kwiatkowski who would become the world champion just a few weeks later – and riding consistently strongly to finish in the top 10. His great form allowed him to be part of the 11-rider team that travelled to Ponferrada to represent Italy at the Worlds.

 

This year he has not been at his best yet – partly due to some health issues – but the Giro del Trentino has always been his first big goal of the season. Like in 2014, he has been training at altitude with teammate Manuel Bongiorno and there is no reason to suggest that he is not at an even better level than he was 12 months ago. He will use the Amstel Gold Race to test his legs and get back into the racing rhythm and then he will ready to strike in his home race.

 

Zardini will lose a bit of time in the team time trial but in the mountains he won’t be a marked man. This may give him the room to attack and he has proved that he is not afraid of attacking from afar. It may be hard for him to win the race overall but don’t be surprised if he ends up on the podium after having taken another stage win.

 

Zardini may be inconsistent but he can hardly compete with Fabio Duarte when it comes to irregular performances. For most of the year, the Colombian is far from the best and one wonders whether he will ever get back to his best. For some reason, however, he always seems to get into condition for his big objectives and this makes him one of the most unpredictable riders of the peloton.

 

Last year he rode poorly until he was suddenly among the best in the Trentino mountains where he got close to a stage win. This year he will again try to be with the best in this race which suits him down to the ground. However, Colombia have not been invited to the Giro d’Italia and so Duarte’s main goal is to be ready for the Vuelta. This means that he may be less motivated at this time of the year and he may again be far off the pace. On the other hand, Giro del Trentino must be his big goal for the first part of the year and this could set him up for another good performance.

 

Sky are loaded with great climbers. One of them is Sebastian Henao who may not have had the same kind of results as his cousin Sergio but he has indicated that he has a huge potential. Last year he was with the best for a long time in the memorable Gavia-Stelvio stage in the Giro and he rode an excellent mountain time trial. Compared to Sergio, he is more of a pure climber and he should find this race to his liking. He hopes to get room to go for the white jersey in the Giro and even though he will mainly be a domestique in both the grand tour and this race, he may finish high in the overall standings too. If Porte and König are not at their best, Henao will be ready to seize the opportunity to get his big breakthrough in Trentino.

 

MTN-Qhubeka have two talented climbers who are knocking on the door for big things. Louis Meintjes has gradually developed into one of the most exciting climbing prospects and seems to constantly be getting better and better. Last year’s race was the first time he was able to challenge the best on the climbs in a major stage race and he occasionally proved his skills in the Vuelta too.

 

This year he did a fantastic Tour of Oman where he won the white jersey despite being up against a star-studded field and later he won the hardest stage and the overall at the Coppi e Bartali. Since then he seems to have faded slightly and he has not been at the same level in his recent races. However, those races didn’t suit him too much and he delivered a solid performance in the Circuit Cycliste Sarthe queen stage. He will lose time in the team time trial but with his panache and climbing prowess, he should do well in this race.

 

The same can be said about his teammate Merhawi Kudus. The Eritrean seems to have a huge talent and has occasionally shown what he can achieve. He is still very young and hasn’t been up there with the best in the big races but he has done well in races like the Tour de Langkawi and the Vuelta a Andalucia.

 

Unfortunately, Kudus is a bit inconsistent but he may be able to maintain a high level for such a short race. He will lose time in the team time trial but could find himself with good rides in the mountain stages. It may still be a bit too early for him to really make big things in a race like this but it is only a matter go time before he goes head to head with big names in the mountains.

 

Finally, Manuel Bongiorno deserves a mention. Originally, he seemed to be a bigger talent than his Bardiani teammate Zardini but now the latter has taken over the spot at the top of the Bardiani climbing hierarchy. However, Bongiorno has showed signs of his great potential with some solid showings in the Italian one-day races and if it hadn’t been for a stupid fan, he may even have won the Monte Zoncolan stage in last year’s Giro.

 

However, Bongiorno has failed to reach his best level since that day and like many other young riders he is pretty inconsistent. He rode solidly in the Coppi e Bartali but again his lack of consistency cost him a top result. He arrives at this race straight from a high-altitude training camp and so his condition is uncertain. With Bongiorno you never know and he may be capable of a good ride in the Trentino mountains.

 

NOTE: Fabio Aru has been forced to skip the race due to illness and Davide Formolo has made a late change of plans to do Fleche Wallonne instead of the Italian race.

 

***** Richie Porte

**** Domenico Pozzovivo , Fabio Aru

*** Romain Bardet, Jean-Christophe Peraud, Davide Formolo, Mikel Nieve, Leopold König, Mikel Landa, Edoardo Zardini

** Fabio Duarte, Sebastian Henao, Diego Rosa, Louis Meintjes, Merhawi Kudus, Francesco Manuel Bongiorno, Rodolfo Torres

* Alexander Foliforov, Franco Pellizotti, Paolo Tiralongo, Tanel Kangert, Dario Cataldo, Ryder Hesjedal, Joe Dombrowski, David Lopez, Kanstantsin Siutsou, Hubert Dupont, Simone Stortoni, Stefano Pirazzi, Damiano Cunego, Jose Mendes, Dominik Nerz, Patrick Konrad, David Arroyo, Linus Gerdemann, Simone Petilli