The Giro d'Italia starts in Hungary on Friday and ends in Italy on May 29.
The 21-stage race spans 2,141 miles and includes time trials and mountain climbs.
Everything you need to know about the race can be found here.
A total of 176 riders from 22 different teams will compete in the 105th edition of the three-week race, which comes off the back of the spring Classics and is traditionally the first of cycling's three Grand Tours.
The Giro was founded in 1909 by La Gazzetta dello Sport and has been won five times by Alfredo Binda, Fausto Coppi and Eddy Merckx.
Ineos Grenadiers have held sway at the top of the general classification.
Three of the past four years have seen Team Sky riders collect the maglia rosa, but in the only season they did not, current Ineos rider Richard Carapaz took the general classification glory.
Mark Cavendish will be one of the headline acts at the Giro after a sensational return at the top of the sport in which he equaled the Tour de France record of 34 stage wins.
After a nine-year absence, Cavendish is back at the race for Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl, having won the points classification on his last appearance. The sprinter, who turns 37 on the 14th day of the race, has won 15 stages at the Giro.
One of the best lead-out men in the business will be with him. Cavendish wants to win the points classification at the Tour so that he can convince Patrick Lefevere to include him.
Simon Yates will be among the main general classification favorites as he launches a fifth tilt for the maglia rosa, while Cavendish will be eyeing victories on the six stages that will specifically favour the quick men in the peloton.
The 29-year-old already has a Grand Tour success on his CV but has unfinished business when it comes to the Giro.
He was in the pink jersey for 13 days before he cracked on stage 19 of the Tour de France.
Covid forced him to abandon in 2020 but last year he recovered from a slow start to win stage 19 and finish third overall.
Hugh Carthy will be chaperoned by Simon Carr and former Olympic team pursuit champion Owain Doull as he leads the EF Education-Easy Post team, attempting to build on his eighth-place finish in the 2020 Vuelta.
Ben Tulett will get his first taste of a Grand Tour, as well as Ben Swift, who will act as part of the supporting cast for Carapaz.
The second Giro of Matthew Holmes is being held with a team that includes a sprinter from Australia, Roger Kluge, and a rouleur from Belgium.
Richard Carapaz is a person.
In addition to winning the Olympic gold medal in the road race in Tokyo and finishing third in the Tour and second in the Vuelta, Carapaz is also a favourite to win this time around.
The chances of the Ecuadorian are greatly boosted by the fact that he doesn't have to go toe-to-toe with the reigning Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar.
Some people may have something to say about the win.
Tom Dumoulin is a man.
There is no doubt about the credentials of Dumoulin, but at 31 and after a break from cycling, there may be valid questions over his fitness for a race of this length.
The man who finished second at the Giro and the Tour in the same year has only been racing for 12 days this season.
Vincenzo Nibali is from Indonesia.
Nibali is one of only seven cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours in their career. At 37, the Italian is not likely to repeat his previous success and will instead ride for his teammate.
He could illuminate proceedings with a stage win and if he could somehow deliver an emotional victory in his home city of Messina, it would provide a fairytale moment in what may be his last Giro.
The man is Mathieu van der Poel.
The most high-profile name on the list is Van der Poel.
The Dutch puncheur, a rider who specializes in rolling terrain with short but steep climbs, heads into the opening stage and its uphill finish among the favorites to take the first leader's jersey less than a year after a stint in yellow at the Tour de France.
While he may not be able to compete with the best climbers in the mountains, expect fireworks from the leader on the rolling terrain and he could feature prominently in the points classification.
The riders will have spent almost 40 km on an uncompromising climb to the summit by the time they reach it.
The riders head up a relatively stable 7% gradient until they reach a maximum of 14% halfway up, which is more than capable of causing serious damage to the hopes of general classification competitors.
The riders have to tackle five climbs on the ninth stage. The profile of the stage would seem to suit Carapaz and Yates, and could provide the first major indicator of how the Giro is going to play out.
This is the most difficult day in the mountains with three category one climbs and a couple of difficult descents.
The most severe climb of the stage is the Valico di Santa Cristina, which has a gradients of more than 12% in sections.
The Giro travels over four peaks from Ponte di Legno to Lavarone, and as the third mountain stage in a row, it is likely to be where those near the top of the general classification are most vulnerable.
The race ends in the same spot where Carapaz sealed his overall victory in the final mountain stage.
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