TTT to set tone at Tirreno-Adriatico

British sprinter Mark Cavendish and his HTC-Highroad team will hit the ground running at Tirreno-Adriatico starting tomorrow night.

The seven-day race will for the first time open with a team time trial that will set the tone for the 160-strong field competing in Tuscany.

The world’s best sprinters and one-day specialists traditionally use the Race of the Two Seas as preparation for the classics, especially Milan San-Remo (March 19).

Cavendish won the final stage of the 2009 Tirreno-Adriatico before going on to win the season’s first one-day monument.

"We've got a great line-up here for a team time trial with some of the squad's top TT specialists," HTC-Highroad sports director Valerio Piva said.

"HTC-Highroad has always done well in time trials in Italy, too. We won the opening team time trial of the Giro in 2009, so that first stage is a real target.

"Then we'll see what we can do in the first two flat stages with Mark, he was going very well in the Eroica (Strade Bianche), only losing contact with the front group right at the end, and his morale is good."

Sprinters will have their chances in stage two – a 202km race from Carrara to Indicatore (Arezzo)  – and stage three – a 189km trek into Perugia – before the tour hits the mountains for three stages and then concludes with an individual time trial.

The penultimate 178km stage from Ussita to Macerata will see the peloton climb the Madonna del Monte three times.

“We tried to design a very varied Tirreno-Adriatico to give space for any type of racer,” RCS Sport operations director Mauro Vegni said.

All 20 teams competing have catered for the varying 1075km race.

Cavendish, reigning road world champion Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo), Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-ISD), Tom Boonen (Quickstep), Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervelo) and Robbie McEwen (RadioShack) headline the sprinters racing.

Newly crowned Strade Bianche champion Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) and four-time time trial world champion Fabian Cancellara (Leopard- Trek) are among the one-day classic specialists that could make an impression.

Defending champion Stefano Garzelli (Acqua & Sapone), Cadel Evans (BMC) and Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) will also start.

Evans finished third overall last year 12 seconds behind Garzelli and runner-up Michele Scarponi (Androni Giocattoli).

BMC will not identify a team leader until after the opening 16.8km team time trial in Marina di Carrara.

“After the team time trial, we can see which one of our riders has the best chance to go for the general classification," BMC assistant director Fabio Baldato said.

Evans headlines a strong line-up for the American-based outfit including Alessandro Ballan, who finished third overall at the 2006 event, as well as Tour de France stage winners George Hincapie and Marcus Burghardt and time trial specialists Manuel Quinziato and Michael Schär.

Evans made his race debut at the Giro del Fruili last week in what was the latest start to his season since 2004.

The 34-year-old is building toward his Fleche-Wallonne title defence as well as the Tour de France, which he has finished twice runner-up.

"I would like to be able to a good team time trial. From there, we'll see,” Evans said of this week’s race.

“I don't have any high expectations, but I won't be bad, either."

Race details

Stage 1, March 9, Marina di Carrara (TTT) 16.8 km
Stage 2, March 10, Carrara - Indicatore (Arezzo) 202 km
Stage 3, March 11, Terranuova Bracciolini - Perugia 189 km
Stage 4, March 12, Narni - Chieti 240 km
Stage 5, March 13, Chieti - Castelraimondo 240 km
Stage 6, March 14, Ussita - Macerata 178 km
Stage 7, March 15, San Benedetto del Tronto (ITT) 9.3 km

Provisional start list

ACQUA & SAPONE
GARZELLI Stefano ITA
CHTIOUI Rafai TUN
CODOL Massimo ITA
DONATI Alessandro ITA
MARZOLI Ruggero ITA
MIHOLJEVIC Vladimir CRO
NAPOLITANO Danilo ITA
PRONI Alessandro ITA
D.S. GINI FrancoALM

AG2R LA MONDIALE
NOCENTINI Rinaldo ITA
CHEREL Mikael FRA
ELMIGER Martin SUI
HINAULT Sébastien FRA
KRIVTSOV Yuriy UKR
LELAY David FRA
MONDORY Lloyd FRA
MONTAGUTI Matteo ITA
D.S. BIONDI Laurent

BMC RACING TEAM
EVANS Cadel AUS
BALLAN Alessandro ITA
BURGHARDT Marcus GER
HINCAPIE George USA
SANTAMBROGIO Mauro ITA
QUINZIATO Manuel ITA
VAN AVERMAET Greg BEL
SCHÄR Michael SUI
D.S. BALDATO Fabio

EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI
MARTINEZ DE ESTEBAN Egoi ESP
SESMA Daniel ESP
CASTROVIEJO Nicolas Jonathan ESP
ARAMENDIA LLORENTE Javier ESP
IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI Jon ESP
VELASCO MURILLO Ivan ESP
TXURRUKA Amets ESP
OROZ UGALDE Juan Jose ESP
D.S. ODRIOZOLA MUGARZA Jon

FARNESE VINI - NERI SOTTOLI
VISCONTI Giovanni ITA
CACCIA Diego ITA
FAILLI Francesco
GATTO Oscar ITA
GIORDANI Leonardo ITA
MAZZANTI Luca ITA
NOE' Andrea ITA
SINKEWITZ Patrik GER
D.S. SCINTO Luca

HTC - HIGHROAD
CAVENDISH Mark GBR
ALBASINI Michael SUI
EISEL Bernhard AUT
GRABSCH Bert GER5
PINOTTI Marco ITA56
RENSHAW Mark AUS
ROULSTON Hayden NZL
VELITS Peter SVK
D.S. PIVA Valerio

KATUSHA TEAM
POZZATO Filippo ITA
CARUSO Giampaolo
DI LUCA Danilo ITA
KOLOBNEV Alexandr RUS
KUSCHYNSKI Aleksandr BLR
MORENO FERNANDEZ Daniel ESP
PAOLINI Luca ITA
RODRIGUEZ OLIVER Joaquin ESP
D.S. PISCINA Omar

LAMPRE - ISD
CUNEGO Damiano ITA
SCARPONI Michele ITA
PETACCHI Alessandro ITA
BERTAGNOLLI Leonardo ITA
HONDO Danilo GER
MALORI Adriano ITA
MORI Manuele ITA
NIEMIEC Przemyslaw POL
D.S. MAINI Orlando

LIQUIGAS - CANNONDALE
BASSO Ivan ITA
NIBALI Vincenzo ITA
BODNAR Maciej POL
CARUSO Damiano ITA
DALL'ANTONIA Tiziano ITA
GUARNIERI Jacopo ITA
MARANGONI Alan ITA
OSS Daniel ITA
D.S. VOLPI Alberto

MOVISTAR TEAM
ARROYO DURAN David ESP
AMADOR BAKKAZAKOVA Andrey CRC
BRUSEGHIN Marzio ITA
KIRYIENKA Vasili BLR
KONOVALOVAS Ignatas LTU
MADRAZO RUIZ Angel ESP
SAMOILAU Branislau BLR
VENTOSO ALBERDI Francisco J. ESP
D.S. UNZUE LABIANO Eusebio

OMEGA PHARMA - LOTTO
GILBERT Philippe BEL
GREIPEL André GER
HANSEN Adam AUS
KAISEN Olivier BEL
LANG Sebastian GER
REYNES MIMO Vicente ESP
SIEBERG Marcel GER
WILLEMS Frederik BEL
D.S. DAMIANI Roberto

ASTANA
DAVIS Allan AUS
GASPAROTTO Enrico ITA
IGLINSKIY Maxim KAZ
BAZAYEV Assan KAZ
KIREYEV Roman KAZ
LORENZETTO Mirco ITA
STANGELJ Gorazd SLO
CLARKE Simon AUS


QUICKSTEP
BOONEN Tom BEL
BANDIERA Marco ITA
CHICCHI Francesco ITA
DEVENYNS Dries BEL
MALACARNE Davide ITA
REDA Francesco ITA
STAUFF Andreas GER
TERPSTRA Niki NED
D.S. PEETERS Wilfried

RABOBANK
FREIRE GOMEZ Oscar ESP
BOOM Lars NED
FLENS Rick NED
GESINK Robert NED1
LANGEVELD Sebastian
LEEZER Tom
TANKINK Bram NED
WYNANTS Maarten BEL
D.S. BREUKINK Erik

SAXO BANK SUNGARD
NUYENS Nick BEL142
COOKE Baden AUS
TANNER David AUS
LARSSON Gustav Erik SWE
HAEDO Juan José ARG
MORKOV Michael DEN
KLOSTERGAARD LARSEN Kasper DEN
TOSATTO Matteo ITA
D.S. RIIS Bjarne

SKY
LÖVKVIST Thomas SWE
ARVESEN Kurt-Asle NOR
CUMMINGS Steven GBR
FLECHA GIANNONI Juan Antonio ESP
BOASSON HAGEN Edvald NOR
HAYMAN Mathew AUS
STANNARD Ian GBR
SUTTON Chris AUS

GARMIN - CERVELO
HUSHOVD Thor NOR
FARRAR Tyler USA
NAVARDAUSKAS Ramunas LTU
HAMMOND Roger GBR
KLIER Andreas GER
LANCASTER Brett AUS
MILLAR David GBR
WILSON Matthew AUS
D.S. MARIE Lionel

LEOPARD - TREK
CANCELLARA Fabian SUI
SCHLECK Andy LUX
BENNATI Daniele ITA
WEGMANN Fabian GER
O'GRADY Stuart AUS
POSTHUMA Joost NED
VIGANO Davide ITA
KLEMME Dominic GER
D.S. GUERCILENA Luca

RADIOSHACK
MCEWEN Robbie AUS
BEPPU Fumiyuki JPN
HERMANS Ben BEL
MACHADO Tiago POR
MURAVYEV Dmitriy KAZ
POPOVYCH Yaroslav UKR
RAST Grégory SUI
ROSSELER Sébastien BEL
D.S. DEMOL Dirk

VACANSOLEIL - DCM
BOZIC Borut SLO
GARDEYN Gorik BEL
MARCATO Marco ITA
MOURIS Jens NED
ONGARATO Alberto ITA
SELVAGGI Mirko ITA1
VEUCHELEN Frederik BEL
D.S. CORNELISSE Michel

2010 final general classification

1. Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone 30:51:36, 2. Michele Scarponi (Ita) Androni Giocattoli, 3. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:12, 4. Maxim Iglinsky (Kaz) Astana 0:00:22, 5. Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank 0:00:27, 6. Michael Rogers (Aus) Team HTC - Columbia 0:00:29, 7. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox 0:00:33, 8. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo 0:00:42, 9. Manuele Mori (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini 0:01:04, 10. Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini 0:01:07.