Movistar Team heads into the Ardennes trio this weekend with a strong lineup including its two main references. Both Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde will be racing in Flèche Wallonne (205km, Wednesday 22nd) and Liège-Bastogne-Liège (253km, Sunday 26th), both races having witnessed two victories each by the Spaniard, last winner in Huy with a great finish in 2014. The Amstel Gold Race (251km, Sunday 19th) will be Valverde's opening goal, searching to increase an already considerable palmarés.

Imanol Erviti, José Herrada, Gorka Izagirre, José Joaquín Rojas, Rory Sutherland and Giovanni Visconti will join Valverde in all three races, with John Gadret replacing Quintana in Limburg on Sunday. José Luis Arrieta will be the sports director throughout the week.

Castilla y León marks next home goal for Blues

In turn, a second Movistar Team unit led by Chente García Acosta will be racing from Friday at the 30th edition of the Vuelta a Castilla y León, over three stages with plenty of mountains - three climbs en route to Alba de Tormes tomorrow; the tough Penhas Douradas and Alto da Torre on Portuguese soil (Saturday) and a hilltop finish in Lubián to close the race on Sunday - really attractive for a mainly climbing squad. Beñat Intxausti, Javi Moreno, Marc Soler, Winner Anacona, Enrique Sanz, Igor Antón and Jonathan Castroviejo will be the telephone squad's seven-man roster.