Tirreno-Adriatico route guide

This prestigious WorldTour race begins on the Ligurian coast at Livorno and sweeps across Italy to its destination in the Adriatic resort of San Benedetto del Tronto.

The week-long race is seen as the ideal build-up to the first classic of the year at Milan-San Remo, with the winner of la classica di Primavera traditionally testing their legs here.

Yet despite an abundance of sprinting talent, gone are two guaranteed sprint finishes, instead replaced by two time trials that book-end the race.

Riders will hope for kinder conditions than last year's rain-soaked edition, yet they can expect to counter a full spectrum of conditions as they head east across Italy.

The route includes many of the stage finishes that proved decisive last year, making the Tirreno not only one of the most prestigious stage races of the year, but one of the most exciting.

In terms of the GC, Thomas Löfkvist heads a power-packed Team Sky squad and he's joined by Kurt-Asle Arvesen, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Steve Cummings, Juan Antonio Flecha, Mathew Hayman, Ian Stannard and Chris Sutton.

Wednesday 9 March: Stage 1 - Marina di Carrara (Team Time Trial) - 16.8km

The race kicks off with a team time trial blast around the Marina di Carrara. Starting on the Ligurian seafront, the riders head north towards Carrara city centre before taking a dead turn and heading back towards the coast. The long straight drag is run in both directions, with the eight-man teams able to see their rivals pass on the other side of the road. The pan-flat course eventually forks off to the right, heading for a loop around Fiumaretta before returning to the Marina for a fast and predominantly straight run to the line to decide the first recipient of the Maglia Azzurra.

TV coverage: Live on British Eurosport 2 from 1400-1530 with highlights at 1730-1830.

Thursday 10 March: Stage 2 - Carrara to Indicatore (Arezzo) - 202km

After an overnight halt in Carrara, the peloton heads south-east for the first proper road stage of the race. The route again hugs the coast before cutting inland, passing through the cycling hotbed of Lucca. Members of the day's breakaway will look to contest the early sprint points, the first coming in Empoli (99km) as a precursor to the first climb of the race. The categorised San Casciano Val di Pesa (122km) should act as a warm up for the steeper Poggio Alla Croce (148km). No doubt many riders will allow a fleeting thought to the decisive climb of the same name in Milan-San Remo. With the climbs unlikely to force major splits in the peloton, a bunch kick looks likely into the small hamlet of Indicatore.

TV coverage: Live on British Eurosport 2 from 1400-1530 with highlights at 1730-1830 & 2335-0035 (British Eurosport).

Friday 11 March: Stage 3 - Terranuova Bracciolini to Perugia - 198km

Day three sees another south-east run as the race moves further inland, leaving the Tuscan town of Terranuova and skirting around Arezzo before the stage's first sprint point. The riders will contest the points at Castiglion Fiorentino (50.3km) before passing the picturesque Lake Castiglione. The route drops down as far as Marsciano (127km) before heading back north to the undulating run-in around Perugia. The day's categorised climb comes just 25km from finish, a possible springboard for a lone attacker looking to take advantage of a technical run-in to the centre of Perugia.

TV coverage: Live on British Eurosport 2 from 1400-1530 with highlights at 1730-1830 & 2320-0020 (British Eurosport).

Saturday 12 March: Stage 4 - Narni to Chieti - 240km

The most undulating test yet. The riders depart from Narni and are immediately met with a gradual rise as they head east towards the coast. The first order of the day is the imposing categorised Sella di Corno (84.7km), with close to a kilometre of climbing facing the field. The day's parcours never flattens out, passing through the earthquake-hit city of L'Aquila en-route to a testing finish. Riders will contest sprint points at Casalincontrada (193km) and Bucchianico (208.7km) before a twisty final loop towards Chieti. Two quick fire climbs look set to shake up the general classification, with the tense ascent of Villamanga (219km) acting as a precursor to the day's mountain-top finish. Riders must climb through the fan-lined streets of the punishing Via Salomone, a finish that saw the race blown wide open in 2010.

TV coverage: Highlights on British Eurosport 2 from 1645-1745 & 1900-2000 (British Eurosport).

Sunday 13 March: Stage 5 - Chieti to Castelraimondo - 240km

The riders are afforded a leisurely start as they roll out of Chieti and hug the east coast until cutting back inland at Alba Adriatica (57.2km). After a sprint point at Sarnano (140km) the riders hit the toughest test of the day, the imposing Sasso Tetto (154.7km). The climb should shed a number of riders and could well cause an elite group to form over the hilly second half of the stage. The sting in the tail will no doubt come in the form of the wall-like Gagliole, ramping up to 14% at its steepest, the riders will summit the climb with 17km to go and there will be opportunities to make time on the descent into Castelraimondo.

TV coverage: Live on British Eurosport 2 from 1400-1500 with highlights at 2045-2130 (British Eurosport) & 2300-0000.

Monday 14 March: Stage 6 - Ussita to Macerata - 178km

The penultimate stage begins in the mountain village of Ussita, allowing the riders to descend the opening kilometres as they head north towards the day's big climb. At just over 100km from the line, the Pietra Rossa is too far out to launch an attack, but the tough climb could significantly weaken the field ahead of a number of short, sharp climbs. The favourites will look to come to the fore as the field enters Macerata for the first time. In a repeat of last year's finish, the riders must complete two laps of a 19km circuit, including the leg-breaking narrow climb that begins on the banks of the Potenza River and winds up through the hillside village.

TV coverage: Live on British Eurosport from 1400-1530 with highlights at 2315-0030.

Tuesday 15 March: Stage 7 - San Benedetto del Tronto (Individual Time Trial) - 9.3km

If the close-fought nature of last year's race is anything to go by, the week-long tour could be decided by the final out-and-back along time trial along the Adriatic Riviera. The scene of the final stage sprint in 2010, Edvald Boasson Hagen will hope to repeat his victory last year in the closing time trial. A course that should suit the power men, a twisty initial 1.5km soon opens up with a straight run down the beach before a dead turn at Piazza Salvo d'Acquisto with 4.5km remaining. The run for the line is arrow straight with the exception of one chicane. The spoils should go to the rider with the most left in his legs after a punishing week in the saddle.

TV coverage: Live on British Eurosport from 1400-1530 with highlights at 2015-2100.

(all TV times are subject to change)