Quintana, Carapaz and Alaphilippe leading the charge for the GC in Tour de la Provence - what to expect

Provence will host the peloton this week as we are set for four days of exciting racing that will include a bit for everyone in the Tour de la Provence.

The race spans along four days in the south of France which start off with a 7.1 kilometer prologue, then another pan-flat stage on the second day which is prone for wind action. The third day will be rather hilly but should still be for the sprinters who can resist, whilst the final day will see the climbers come to the fore and battle for the overall classification.

For the GC it should be decided in the final day, although the strong winds could blow up the peloton on stage 1. Nairo Quintana and Julian Alaphilippe present themselves as the top candidates for the race, with the likes of Richard Carapaz, Giulio Ciccone and Antwan Tolhoek, and Movistar with several options led by Ivan Sosa set to be strong contenders aswell.

As for the sprint stages it's a rather modest field in here, but we will still have some fighting between the likes of last year's dominator Davide Ballerini, Ethan Hayter, Bryan Coquard and Rudy Barbier to name a few.

You will be able to keep up with the race here on CyclingUpToDate as we bring you race reports and interviews on a daily basis.