Several teams have been busy in the off-season, with a number of high-profile transfers clearly outlining the ambition of the squad’s involved.

Can Peter Sagan become a force in the Classics with Tinkoff-Saxo? Will Leopold Konig and Nicolas Roche help Team Sky to more Grand Tour success? Can Bauke Mollema, formerly on Belkin, build upon his two Tour de France top ten finishes at Trek Factory Racing?

Sagan is one of the more intriguing transfers, and it will be interesting to see if Tinkoff-Saxo can step up to be a force as a sprinting unit, with the Slovak sensation on the hunt for a fourth successive Tour de France green jersey, and on the cobbles, with that elusive Classics win still on the 24-year-old’s radar.

Team Sky naturally have huge ambitions for the season and have strengthened with the aim of competing across the board.

British interest at Orica-GreenEDGE has increased further, too, with the signing of Adam Blythe and there will be plenty of fans hoping he can replicate the form he showed on the domestic circuit with NFTO last season.