The Spring Classics are behind us and its time to start Grand Tour season.

The Giro starts on Saturday, and it is looking, like always to be a great competition. Defending champion Danilo di Luca had two doping challenges over the winter. He survived a challenge from the Italian National Olympic Committee, but ending up also serving a 3-month suspension for his relations to the Oil for Drugs scandal and Doctor Carlo Santuccione. He is back on a new team (LPR Brakes) and looking to repeat.

Two-time winner Gilberto Simoni won’t go down without a fight however. He has signed with Giovanni Savio’s Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli squad. The experienced Savio has built a team around Simoni that will be focused on getting Simoni atop the podium.

In late-breaking news, the Astana team, including Tour de France champion Alberto Contador, received a last minute invitation to the race. He is not sure of his form, having just taken off a couple of weeks for a dental procedure, but he will be supported by Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Klöden, fresh off a victory at the Tour de Romandie. If he can once again channel his anger about not being able to defend his TdF title, he may be a force to reckon with.

Teams invited this year:

• LPR Brakes
• Astana
• Caisse de Epargne
• CSF Group Navigarre
• Francaise de Jeux
• High Road
• Liquigas
• Rabobank
• Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli
• Slipstream Chipotle - H30
• Milram
• Tinkoff Credit Systems
• CSC
• Silence Lotto
• Saunier Duval-Scott
• Quickstep
• Lampre
• Gerolsteiner
• Euskatel-Euskadi
• Cofidis
• Barloworld
• AG2R - Le Mondiale

Presentation and Stage Information here.