The first of the season’s Grand Tours is upon us: the Giro d’Italia.

Steeped in tradition, the corsa rosa takes the riders from Denmark and then across Italy, from the sun-baked south to the iconic passes of the Dolomites in the north on 21-stage, three-week race that makes the most brutal demands on an elite crop of riders that this year includes two-time winner, Ivan Basso, Mark Cavendish, and Frank Schleck.

The Giro is quintessentially Italian, and we’ll be taking our inspiration in the weeks ahead from one of cycling’s heartlands.

Our test fleet this month will come from MCipollini (Mario’s new Logos) and a new brand from another former Italian world road race champion, Maurizio Fondriest (the TF3 1.2 Ultegra).

We’ll be testing spring-summer clothing from three of Italy’s most iconic brands: Campagnolo, Castelli, and Santini. Shoes will come from SIDI (a special edition, Liquigas Cannondale Ergo 3), and from Dromarti; helmets from LAS and MET.

Our man on the motorbike in cycling’s elite WorldTour, photographer Steffano Sirotti, will return to home soil to bring you more stunning images of the world’s best riders.

For a select group of homegrown talent, the Giro has become a notable addition to their palmares. We’ll be catching up with some of those who traded the roads of Blighty for Italy in our ‘Brits in the Giro’ series.

If you’ve ever wondered how you’d fare on the relentless slopes of the Dolomites, we’ll be offering you an insight from ‘real world’ riders who’ve done just that by tackling the Maratona dles Dolomites, one of Italy’s hardest sportives.

And if you’d like to know how to prepare for the relentless of challenge of riding day after day, whether its in an amateur stage race like the Ras de Cymru, or a multi-day sportive like the Tour of Wessex, we’ll have tips from leading coaches.

The soigneur plays a pivotal role in keeping the riders in shape for the repeated efforts of a Grand Tour and we’ll be catching up with those tasked with keeping Team Sky’s riders in top condition in the weeks ahead.

And of course, we’ll have daily reports of the action from Italy keeping you up to date with the latest from the Giro.

Bellisima!