Having finished inside the top-ten on 11 of the 20 points-scoring stages last year, on his way to third overall, Alejandro Valverde stormed to a second consecutive green jersey.

His ability on the rolling, hilly stages – as demonstrated by his form in the one-day Classics – means he is more-than capable of picking up points on a wide variety of stages.

Valverde, 34, is currently ranked as the WorldTour’s number one rider thanks to a season which has already seen him win La Fleche Wallonne and the Clasica San Sebastian, alongside second place at Liege-Bastogne-Liege and a string of one-day wins below WorldTour level.

However, his possible commitments to Nairo Quintana – though team bosses insist they both start as leaders and will remain so until the race situation dictates otherwise – could hinder him.

Furthermore, he faded at the Tour de France – unable to match his rivals in the Alps and Pennines and dropping off the final podium as a result.

A stronger field of climbers could also harm his chances of picking up as many points in the mountains but, if the Classica San Sebastian is anything to go by, it is hard to look past a Valverde hat-trick.