The contenders – Joaquim Rodriguez

Last year’s world number one has had a steady start to the 2014 season, with Catalunya his first WorldTour action since winning the Giro di Lombardia to place him top of the rankings for the second year running. His season so far appears to have been all about getting miles in the legs, with a fourth place at the Tour of Oman – his position atop Green Mountain – his only notable result so far.

Now, however, he has the chance to test the endurance and power of his biggest rivals with a parcours, once more, perfectly suited to his strengths. The summit finishes will no doubt see Purito in contention, while the late climb on the penultimate could be another potential area for him to target. Last time out he finished second behind Dan Martin (Garmin-Sharp) and though Katusha are yet to their team, with Daniel Moreno another potential contender, at least one of their Spanish climbing stars will be in the hunt for GC honours.