With the Vuelta a Espana in full swing, Team Sky find themselves attacking on two fronts as they return to the Poitou-Charantes region for the first time since 2011.

The last visit proved a productive one, with Davide Appollonio and Alex Dowsett both winning stages, and Dowsett also finishing second in the general classification. They will be looking to go one better on the overall standings this time around and arrive in west France with a strong squad consisting of Philip Deignan, Nathan Earle, David Lopez, Danny Pate, Wout Poels, Luke Rowe, Ben Swift and Xabier Zandio.

The race criss-crosses four departments, taking in some of the toughest roads in the area with short, sharp climbs regularly interspersing the action. The split stage which includes a time trial on the penultimate day will certainly grab the attention, although the race win could well go down to the wire.