"There’s no queen stage, anything can happen every day" - Isaac del Toro on demanding Tirreno-Adriatico course

Tirreno-Adriatico starts today with Isaac del Toro as one of the headliners. After winning the UAE Tour and finishing third at Strade Bianche, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader takes on the responsibility in a route that lacks the high mountains and will provide a different challenge for him.

Del Toro lines up with a team that includes the likes of Jan Christen, Benoît Cosnefroy and Kevin Vermaerke alongside him. It's a classics-guided team, useful for the many explosive hilly stages the riders will find throughout the week.

"This is a race that will be highly competitive because all the teams lining up are extremely motivated. On this kind of course, it’ll be necessary to stay attentive every day," Del Toro said in the press conference that took place this Sunday afternoon in San Benedetto del Tronto, which hosts the stage 1 11-kilometer long time trial.

After those initial gaps are created, the race can go in many different ways. "There’s no queen stage, anything can happen every day. I guess we’ll be in a constant state of stress," is what the Mexican rider expects.

Whilst the likes of Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert and last year's runner-up Filippo Ganna aren't expected to be in the top part of the overall classification; they will be in contention for several stages. Stage 2, 5 and 6 will be key for the GC, all of them featuring explosive climbs coinciding with the finish line or coming close. Stage 2 features a long gravel sector close to the finish and can prove crucial.

After winning the opening uphill sprint stage at the UAE Tour and ending on the final podium at Strade Bianche, there is no reason to believe Del Toro won't be well adapted to the demands of the Italian race, however it lacks the long climbs close to the finish where he would ordinarily thrive in.