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Route: The Cinque Terre is beautiful if challenging cycling country, but not the kind of terrain you'd expect to find a time trial. The r😼oads twist tightly up and down - they simply don't do straight and flat in this region. Many riders have said they will be using a normal road bike for this test, although Lance Armstrong has said his is likely to have a few aero features.

Local hero: Perhaps there's something in the Ligurian wate🍌r that helps turn out sprinters. As well as Petacchi, Liquigas's Francesco Chicchi hails from not far down the coast i⛄n Camaiore, but the race organisers haven't done him any favours with this stage.

Procycling's top tip: The main contenders should dominate, but it's hard to predict who'll have the edge. If Armstrong is fit, we'd back him to rinse his rivals today, but if he's no💎t it will open the door to Basso.

Savio speaks: The Cinque Terre time trial clearly favours riders like Armstrong and Basso, but - attention - this time trial will not penalise riders like Cunego and Simoni. It would be a different story if it was all flat, Cunego and Simoni would be out of the g⭕ame.

This time trial is very abnormal, just like the Giro is an abn♋ormal Giro. That first climb is very tricky, and then a technical decent. I only hope it does not rain that day. If it rains the stage will be come a nightmare.

We will have to see what the differences are like afterwards to know if 𓆉this stage changes the entire Giro. The classification men will hope to avoid any incidents, any mechanicals. I always tell my riders to follow their sensations. It is better to be safe and lose a few seconds than crash and lose it all.

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