Zdenek Stybar (QuickStep Floors)

While last year’s winner Fabian Cancellara is an obvious absentee, Zdenek Stybar is one of three former Strade Bianche victors set for Saturday’s startline.

And having followed up his 2015 success with second-place behind Cancellara last time out, you would back the former ‘cross world champion to be up there again.

QuickStep were the dominant team in 2016, despite Cancellara’s win, with Stybar, Gianluca Brambilla and Petr Vakoc all inside the top five.

But it’s Stybar who stands out as the obvious contender thanks to the bike-handling skills he honed on the cyclo-cross stage, and his ability on the sort of short, uphill finish awaiting in Siena.

Stybar was ninth at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne last weekend, but he is rightly considered among the bookies’ favourites this time out.

Greg van Avermaet (BMC Racing)

The other winner on the opening weekend of Classics racing, Olympic champion Greg van Avermaet successfully defended his Omloop Het Nieuwsblad crown.

It was a further reminder of how he has gone from nearly-man to serious Classics contender, and the Belgian has shown consistency in the past at Strade Bianche too.

While he awaits a first win, Van Avermaet has been on the podium once before and finished in the top ten on five occasions in all.

He proved at Rio 2016 that he can deliver on the big stages, and is more than capable on short, steep climbs and with uphill finishes.

Van Avermaet’s fast finish makes him more than a match for most in the peloton, and his rise in form has also seen him show plenty of tactical nous: a perfect blend for winning in Siena.

Diego Rosa (Team Sky)

Diego Rosa made a strong start to life at Team Sky, with the Italian finishing fifth overall at the Ruta del Sol, his debut race.

Since joining Astana in 2015, Rosa has proved himself a decent option for the Classics, and last year followed up tenth place at Liege-Bastogne-Liege with second at Il Lombardia.

Rosa is also a former Milano-Torino winner and was fifth the last time he raced Strade Bianche – so the 27-year-old certainly has previous in his home country.

Team Sky are desperate to make their mark on their Classics, and Rosa is one of a number of riders worth watching on Saturday – former winner Michal Kwiatkowski is also on the startlist for starters.

But Rosa has proved he can be a contender over this terrain, and the former Astana man has a big chance to prove his worth to his new employers early on.

Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb)

Multiple Grand Tour stage winner Tom Dumoulin kicked off his season with a strong showing at the Abu Dhabi Tour, where third place on the race’s queen stage earned him third overall.

He is yet to really pull up trees at Strade Bianche, with just a pair of top-20 finishes to his name from previous performances, but Dumoulin – still only 26, remember – has been improving year-on-year.

A powerful engine and an ability to get up and over the short, steep climbs point to more potential in the Classics than he’s shown to date.

He will have his hands full if he wants to make an impact in Siena on Saturday – but that doesn’t mean he’s not worth consideration as an outside bet.

Best of the rest

As stated, it’s difficult to hone in on just a few favourites because the nature of the race means it’s open to a lot of riders.

Rigoberto Uran and Sep Vanmarcke are both very different types of Classics riders, with Uran more at home on courses like Il Lombardia and his new Cannondale team-mate Vanmarcke a master on the cobbles – but both have been inside the top ten at Strade Bianche before.

On the other hand, you have Vincenzo Nibali, who has showed plenty of himself in his home country before, be it aggressive, attacking racing at Milan-San Remo or victory at Il Lombardia.

Though not considered a Classics rider – or at least much better known for his Grand Tour-winning capabilities – the Bahrain-Merida is still nevertheless a man you’d be foolish not to keep a close eye on.

That said, only one Italian has ever won at Strade Bianche – Moreno Moser was teed up for his 2013 triumph by Peter Sagan, but the 26-year-old will line up for Astana this time out.

Finally, what about the Brits? There’ll be three on the Siena startline on Saturday, namely Team Sky duo Tao Geoghegan Hart and Owain Doull and Dimension Data’s Scott Thwaites – all of whom will ride at Strade Bianche for the first time.