Tirreno-Adriatico 2016: Preview

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Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) tries the trident out for size. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

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Alejandro Valverde in the peloton (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

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Race leader Mark Cavendish in action during stage 5 at the Tour of Qatar (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

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Fabian Cancellara (Trek-Segafredo) wins Strade Bianche (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

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Tirreno-Adriatico 2016 race map (Image credit: RCS)

This year’s Tirreno-Adriatico looks set to be a classic edition of the ‘Race of the Two Seas’, with something for everyone during the seven days of racing between Lido di Camaiore on the Tyrrhenian coast and San Benedetto del Tronto on the Adriatic coast.

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Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), Thibaut Pinot (FDJ), Johan Esteban Chaves (Orica-GreenEdge) and Tejay van Garderen (BMC) are expected to fight for victory and the winner’s trident trophy, while the Classics stars and sprinters will use the tough race through the Italian Apennines to polish their form before Milan-San Remo and other spring races.

A stage win is a huge boost to moral for any rider focused on Milan-San Remo and a psychological blow on their rivals.

The race route in detail

The overall contenders