Tirreno-Adriatico: 5 riders to watch - Video

The route for the 2017 edition of Tirreno-Adriatico has been billed as a classic by the race organiser, and the Italian WorldTour outing has duly attracted a classic line-up.

Starting with a team time trial in Lido di Camaiore, which has signed itself up to the race until 2020, the race winds its way down the Tuscan coast towards Rome, before a sharp turn to the east. The Termanillo once again hosts the summit finish of the Queen Stage, which should be decisive in the general classification. A short individual time trial will close out the race and give those who struggled in the mountains a shot at redemption.

With the Giro d'Italia just two months away, the Grand Tour contenders are out in force at the one-week race. Two former champions will be on the start line on March 8, with Vincenzo Nibali set to lead Bahrain-Merida and Nairo Quintana back for Movistar.

As well as Quintana and Nibali, there are a long list of GC men looking to hone their form ahead of the Giro d'Italia. Cyclingnews has tried to cram those into just five to watch, which proved a tough challenge.

Want to see who we picked? Watch the video above, and to subscribe to the Cyclingnews video channel, click here.