Team Picnic PostNL Raisin

The first Grand Tour of the year is here! A start on Bulgarian soil will then see the peloton tackle snow-capped mountain passes, sinuous descents, fast sprint finishes and all-out time trials.

Although there is no mountain finish, plenty of punchy Basque climbs are located throughout the three stages so we can expect lots of attacking from those who are at home as the road pitches up.

With a hilly and punchy parcours through the region surrounding Cologne, we could once again be in for a selective and exciting day of action, where the team return as defending champions.

An opportunity for the sprinters to duke it out in this hotly contested 1.2 level Dutch race, with a fast finish expected in the town of Veldhoven unless the cobble sections prove decisive.

Into its second year on the calendar, last season ended in a bigger bunch sprint finish but the open and exposed roads throughout the day could also play havoc if the wind blows.