Who can stop the Boels-Dolmans juggernaut from taking a third straight win in the 2018 Women’s World Tour? There are plenty of candidates in one of the hardest races on the calendar. This is often an event where being the best team on paper is not enough; the strongest survive to the finish, and a small group sprint is a common scenario at the end of the race.

Last year, Coryn Rivera announced her major-league breakthrough with the Sunweb team, while the previous two editions went to Boels-Dolamns with Lizzie Armiststead/Deignan. Trofeo Alfredo Binda requires guts, power and determination, because you know exactly what you’re in for.

The race actually starts in Taino, and trails eastwards (via two intermediate sprints) to the finishing town of Cittiglio. The riders then take one long clockwise loop out to Grantola and Brinzio which includes the final two intermediate sprints, and the €200 prize for the Queen of the Mountains climb in Cunardo.

To round things off, there are four laps of a challenging, up-and-down 18-kilometer circuit, with each of four QoM trips up the Orino offering €50 each time. This climb offers the perfect launch pad for a race-defining attack, with the final ascent coming just 7.5 kilometres from the line.

Although it’s only 131 kilometers, the route never lets up, and the attritional nature of the rollers will sap the strength. Depending on the weather, too, things could be brutally hard.

Boels-Dolmans will bring a star-studded team, as always, and although both Anna van der Breggen and Amy Pieters miss out after taking the opening two World Tour events respectively, Megan Guarnier and Chantal Blaak could be in the mix.

#TrBinda "Hard, magic and a goal. It's a race that is different to the other classics we have at this time of year and I'm really excited for it." @ElenaCecchini92 on Sunday's Trofeo Alfredo Binda race.
Read more: https://t.co/AmgWjogToK#UCIWWT pic.twitter.com/hs0MuIEblF

— CANYON//SRAM Racing & CANYON//SRAM Generation (@WMNcycling) March 14, 2018

Canyon-SRAM will have Elena Cecchini as the home favorite, backed by Pauline Ferrand-Prevot and Kasia Niewiadoma, all three of whom are perfect for this race. Wiggle-High5 will have Elena Longo Borghini to show off her Italian champion’s jersey.

Defending champion Coryn Rivera is back for Sunweb, backed by Leah Kirchmann and Lucinda Brand, whose descending skills could prove critical in the finale.

Race coverage is on RAI Sport HD, and you can follow on Twitter via @TrofeoBinda, and using #UCIWWT and #trbinda.