The Giro d'Italia gets underway today in Sardinia, the first stage of what will be a total of 21 over the next three weeks, with the winner crowned in Milan on Sunday, 28th May.
This year's Giro will be all the more special considering it is the 100th edition of the race.
The Giro is the first of the three 'Grand Tours' to be ridden in the calendar year and although on paper just a few riders have a realistic chance of winning the event, we take a look at perhaps the top five riders to keep an eye on over the next three weeks.
Quintana is where the clever money is. Although the Columbian will be desperate to win his first Tour de France GC this year he is so well equipped for the Giro and he has a strong team supporting him.
He has the experience to win the race and took victory here back in 2014, picking up a couple of stage wins in the process.
The Columbian struggled in the Tour de France last year before bouncing back to win the Vuelta and he's coming into the race in good form, winning a stage of the Vuelta a Asturias last time out on Alto de Acebo, one of Spain's toughest climbs finishing second place overall.
You can count on Quintana to be there or thereabouts.
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION WINS: 2 - Giro d'Italia (2014), Vuelta a Espana (2016)
GRAND TOUR STAGE WINS: 6 (including 2 team time trial wins)
GIRO STAGE WINS: 2
TEAM: Movistar (ESP)
QUINTANA Nairo (COL)
AMADOR Andrey (CRC)
ANACONA Winner (COL)
BENNATI Daniele (ITA)
DE LA PARTE Victor (ESP)
HERRADA José (ESP)
IZAGIRRE Gorke (ESP)
ROJAS Juan José (ESP)
SUTHERLAND Rory (AUS)
Nibali is the home favourite. A winner of the race twice including twelve months ago, he's tackling the 100th edition of the race in a new team, Bahrain-Merida. With six Italians in their line-up they are sure to receive some tremendous support from the sidelines.
Nibali is the most experienced of the GC contenders as he bid to add to his four Grand Tour victories.
Things haven't gone totally to plan for his new team so far this season but he did pick up a win at the Tour of Croatia and he'll certainly be eager to please the locals over the next three weeks.
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION WINS: 4 - Tour de France (2014), Giro d'Italia (2013, 2016), Vuelta a Espana (2010)
GRAND TOUR STAGE WINS: 15 (including 3 team time trial wins)
GIRO STAGE WINS: 6 individual, 2 team time trial
TEAM: Bahrain-Merida (Bahrain)
NIBALI Vincenzo (ITA)
AGNOLI Valverio (ITA)
BOARO Manuele (ITA)
GASPAROTTO Enrico (ITA)
MORENO Javier (ESP)
PELLIZOTTI franco (ITA)
PIBERNIK Luka (SLO)
SIUTSOU Kanstantsin (BLR)
VISCONTI Giovanni (ITA)
Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk may not have any Grand Tour wins to his name but he was over three minutes clear going into the nineteenth stage of 21 in last year's race before disaster struck.
Overshooting a corner Kruijswijk crashed and was forced to make a bike change. The events saw him lose the Pink Jersey and ultimately the race where he would eventually finish fourth missing out on the podium.
Another crack in 2017 will be very much in his thoughts.
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION WINS: 0
GRAND TOUR STAGE WINS: 0
GIRO STAGE WINS: 0
TEAM: LottoNL-Jumbo (NED)
KRUIJSWIJK Steven (NED)
BATTAGLIN Enrico (ITA)
CAMPENAERTS Victor (BEL)
CASTELIJNS Twan (NED)
CLEMENT Stef (NED)
KEIZER Martijn (NED)
TANKINK Bram (NED)
VAN DEN BROECK Jurgen (BEL)
VAN EMDEN Jos (NED)
Like Steven Kruijswijk, Geraint Thomas is yet to even win a stage at one of the Grand Tours but he comes into the 2017 Giro as Team Sky's lead rider.
The Welshman has been an able deputy to the likes of Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins but gets his chance here in what has been a good season to date, winning the Tour of the Alps.
Thomas has only raced in the Giro twice to date but two top 20 finishes in the Tour de France in the last three years suggests he can step up and possibly challenge for a podium place in Milan.
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION WINS: 0
GRAND TOUR STAGE WINS: 0
GIRO STAGE WINS: 0
TEAM: Team Sky
THOMAS Geraint (GBR)
LANDA Mikel (ESP)
DEIGNAN Philip (IRL)
ELISSONDE Kenny (FRA)
GOLAS Michal (POL)
HENAO Sebastian (COL)
KIRYIENKA Vasil (BLR)
PUCCIO Salvatore (ITA)
ROSA Diego (ITA)
Last on our list is the enigmatic Frenchman Thibaut Pinot. The FDJ rider is the youngest on our list but has bags of talent. At the age of 26 he has already picked up two Tour de France stage wins and he won the young rider classification in 2014.
The dynamic Frenchman finished second behind Thomas in the Tour of the Alps and he also has podium finishes in 2017 in the Vuelta a Andalucia and Tirrano-Adriatico.
Can he step up and challenge for the Maglia Rosa?
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION WINS: 0
GRAND TOUR STAGE WINS: 2
GIRO STAGE WINS: 0
TEAM: FDJ (FRA)
PINOT Thibaut (FRA)
BONNET William (FRA)
LADAGNOUS Matthieu (FRA)
LUDVIGSSON Tobias (SWE)
MOLARD Rudy (FRA)
MORABITO Steve (SUI)
REICHENBACH Sebastien (SUI)
ROY Jérémy (FRA)
VAUGRENARD Benoit (FRA)