While the classics season approaches its end, the cycling world prepares a change of scenery. When the riders have crossed the finish line in Ans at the end of the Liege-Bastogne-Liege, focus will turn to the big stage races and at first the Giro d'Italia. Most of the expected protagonists in the Italian grand tour fine-tune their form this week in the most important preparations race, the mountainous Giro del Trentino, and you can follow all the action on CyclingQuotes.com/live.

Giro del Trentino plays the same role for the Giro d'Italia as the Criterium du Dauphine does for the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Burgos does for the Vuelta a Espana. As an extremely mountainous race held in one of the home country's hardest terrains only weeks ahead of the national grand tour, it offers the perfect opportunity to finalize the preparations for rider aiming at a top result in the upcoming grand tour.

The race in Trentino is known as one of the most mountainous, and this year will be no exception. After an easy start with a relatively flat stage and a short team time trial on Tuesday, the drama kicks off with dramatic mountain stages on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The key stages are the hard mountaintop finishes on the second and fourth day of racing, while Thursday's third stage seems to be a day for an escape consisting of strong climbers.

With the exception of Samuel Sanchez, Robert Gesink and Ryder Hesjedal, all of the expected protagonists in this year's Giro d'Italia are on the start line in Trentino, and we face a fantastic test of form for the likes of Bradley Wiggins, Vincenzo Nibali, Michele Scarponi, Ivan Basso, Cadel Evans, Franco Pellizotti and defending champion Domenico Pozzovivo.

You can follow all the action here, and until then you can prepare by reading our preview here.

Schedule

Stage 1a: No live coverage

Stage 1b: Tuesday at 15.55

Stage 2: Wednesday at 13.15

Stage 3: Thursday at 14.00

Stage 4: Friday at 14.15

CyclingQuotes' favourites

***** Bradley Wiggins

**** Vincenzo Nibali, Michele Scarponi

*** Domenico Pozzovivo, Ivan Basso, Pierre Rolland, Franco Pellizotti, Przemyslaw Niemiec

** Mauro Santambrogio, Hubert Dupont , Maxime Bouet, Cadel Evans, Matteo Rabottini, Davide Rebellin, Sergio Pardilla, Miguel Angel Rubiano Chavez, Paolo Tiralongo

* Ivan Santaromita, Cayetano Sarmiento, Jose Serpa, Davide Malacarne, Emanuele Sella, Francesco Manuel Bongiorno, Stefano Locatelli, Jonathan Monsalve, Stefano Garzelli, Andre Cardoso, Leopold König, Sergey Firsanov

CyclingQuotes' stage winner picks

1a. etape: Roberto Ferrari, Elia Viviani, Fabio Felline, Manuel Belletti, Oscar Gatto, Enrico Battaglin

1b. etape: Team Sky, Astana,, BMC, Cannondale, Team NetApp-Endura

2. etape: Pierre Rolland, Domenico Pozzovivo, Michele Scarponi, Vincenzo Nibali, Bradley Wiggins

3. etape: Valerio Agnoli, Davide Malacarne, Emanuele Sella, Stefano Pirazzi, Fabio Duarte, Amets Txurruka

4. etape: Domenico Pozzovivo, Pierre Rolland, Michele Scarponi, Vincenzo Nibali, Franco Pellizotti