Maastricht > Berg en Terblijt 257km The big news about the route is the return of the Cauberg in the final lap, the crest is just under 2km from the finish. I had a quick check to see how long it’s been since it was removed and was amazed to see it’s been 10 years, time certainly flies. We saw on Friday that Remco is most certainly back, and now we get to see him up against Pogačar, strap yourself in folks, this is going to be fun.

Fraians > Mont Poupet 177km The route has been slightly altered this year, increasing the difficulty level by approaching Mont Poupet on a harder road. The final 60km of the race has 1800m of climbing, that’s a tough finale in anyone’s book. David Gaudu won last year, he’s not back to defend his crown.

Besançon > Montfaucon 168km Just the 5th edition of the race, it’s a great one for the punchy climbers. Lenny Martinez won last year, but he’s not here to defend his title.

Corropoli > Isola del Gran Sasso 165km The race ends with a tricky little stage, one that has many possibilities. After a brilliant ride today, Georg Zimmermann sits in the race lead, I didn’t expect to be writing that a few days ago. He leads De La Cruz by 11 seconds, with Torres a further 7 seconds behind. There’s a bonus sprint at the top of the climb after 27km, we’ll see if that comes into play. Wanty don’t have a strong team at this race, Zimmermann isn’t safe until this stage is over.

Beersel > Overijse 162km Remco’s back, boys and girls, this is not a drill! De Brabantse Pijl has been moved to a Friday, just 2 days before Amstel Gold, and reduced in distance. It’s still got the same lap circuit and all the usual climbs, so the change in distance won’t reduce excitement, it might even increase it. Just 2 days before Amstel Gold, some riders might think twice about going deep, it certainly adds a little uncertainty into proceedings.

San Demetrio ne’ Vestini > Roccaraso 160km The big GC day.

Hasselt > Tongeren 179km New finish alert!

Tocco da Casauria > Penne 139km The second stage is a tricky one, still not hard by GC standards, but it will hurt this bunch.

Scerni > Crecchio 151km The first stage of the race should end in a sprint, I say should as races like this have a habit of throwing up a surprise. The “big” teams have several devo team riders in them, chasing down the break is never easy in a race of this stature.

The race has settled nicely into its space in the calendar, some use this as good preparation for the Ardennes, but it mainly gives a chance for younger riders to test themselves against seasoned pros, and it gives fans watching a chance of finding out about riders they might not have heard about before.