Tirreno-Adriatico attracts stellar start list for 2018

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Chris Froome finished 10th overall at the Ruta del Sol(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)

This year's Tirreno-Adriatico has attracted a star-studded line-up with Grand Tour winners Chris Froome (Sky), Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb), Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) and Fabio Aru (UAE Team Emirates) set to ride, along with world champion Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) and former rainbow jersey winners Michal Kwiatkowski (Sky), Philippe Gilbert (QuickStep-Floors) and Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data).

The battle for the overall victory will be intensified by the addition of Rigoberto Uran (EF Education-Drapac), Romain Bardet (AG2R-La Mondiale), Rohan Dennis and Richie Porte (BMC), Mikel Landa (Movistar), Primoz Roglic (LottoNL-Jumbo), Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana), Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott), and Geraint Thomas (Sky). Movistar's Nairo Quintana will not defend his overall title while Nibali and Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) are the only former winners on the start list.

A number of Classics riders will also line out in Italy at the 'Race of the Two Seas' including Van Avermaet, Filippo Pozzato (Wilier Triestina), Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data), Alexey Lutsenko (Astana), Tiesj Benoot (Lotto Soudal), Sep Vanmarcke (EF Education-Drapac), Nathan Haas (Katusha-Alpecin), and Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) among those on the provisional start list.

The 53rd edition of Tirreno-Adriatico takes place 7-13 March with four Pro Continental teams joining the 18 WorldTour teams taking to the start line. The race starts with a 21.5-kilometre team time trial in Lido di Camaiori and concludes with an individual time trial in San Benedetto del Tronto. Stage 5 to Filottrano has been dubbed the 'The stage of the Walls' and will be key to deciding the final general classification.