The Tour de France is just around the corner and this weekend several world stars will fine-tune their condition in their national championships road races that take places all over Europe. One of the most interesting battles take place in Italy where Vincenzo Nibali faces an important test which will prove whether he is ready to challenge Chris Froome and Alberto Contador in La Grande Boucle. Starting Saturday at 14.50 CEST you can follow the race on CyclingQuotes.com/live.

This weekend offers excellent bike racing as most of Europe hand out their national champion's jerseys on Saturday or Sunday. While it is an important Tour de France test for some, the importance of the races can't be udnerestimated as the national tunics are among the most coveted in the cycling world.

The most prestigious one is maybe the Italian tricolour which has been worn by Ivan Santaromita since last year's race. The defending champion will try to defend his title in Saturday's 2014 edition of the championships but has been set back by illness and it is unlikely that he will again step onto the top step of the podium.

For the second year in a row, the race is held on the course of the Italian one-day race Trofeo Melinda but a few adjustments have made it a bit less selective than last year's brutal affair. Nonetheless, the race finishes with three laps of a hard finishing circuit that includes a 20km climb to the finish. The gradients are not too tough but with 3655m of climbing, it is definitely not a race for sprinters.

Almost all the Italian stars will be at the start but most attention will be taken by Vincenzo Nibali who leads a strong Astan team with riders like Enrico Gasparotto, Francesco Gavazzi and Michele Scarponi. In addition to Sunday's time trial, the race is the final big test for the Italian Tour hope who has never won the coveted tricolour jersey.

Starting at 14.50 CEST you can follow the race here.