Alejandro Valverde arrives at Strade Bianche in excellent form, where he will hope to better his 12th place finish from last year. With the backing of a team which includes Tour of Beijing winner Benat Intxausti and key lieutenant Andrey Amador, Valverde is well-placed to be in the mix this weekend.

He has the form to do so having claimed three consecutive stage wins en route to overall victory at the Ruta del Sol in late February, with the Spaniard also topping the points classification to boot. And Valverde started his one-day season in a similar vein of form with victory at the 1.1-classified Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia on March 1.

Valverde’s riding style is better suited to the Ardennes Classics than the cobbles of northern Europe but Strade Bianche occupies a middle ground that could see the 33-year-old’s punchy climbing ability come to the fore.