In recent years, it has been common to start the season at the Tour de San Luis (2.1) in Argentina which has taken place at the same time as the Tour Down Under but with harder course more suited to stage race riders. Unfortunately, this beautiful event no longer exists as the partnership with the Province of San Luis was not renewed. Nevertheless those who want to continue opening their season in Argentina will be able to console themselves with the Tour of San Juan, the race in the neighboring province to the northwest of San Luis. 

The Tour de San Juan which has usually been taking place at the beginning of January, will take place from January 23 to 29 2017, one week after the usual San Luis slot, and will be ranked 2.1. For a first edition at this level, the field looks promising. As the Tour Down Under remaind on the same dates, the Tour de San Juan will not compete with a World Tour event and will take place at the same time as the Challenge Mallorca and the Grand Prix la Marseillaise.

Four World Tour teams are announced for San Juan: Bahrain - Merida, Quick-Step Floors, Trek - Segafredo and TJ Sport even though the fate of the latter for the moment is still in the unknown. Vincenzo Nibali will be the big star and as he knows the Tour de San Luis well, he did not hesitate a second when the opportunity to start in Argentina came. 

At Quick-Step Floors, Fernando Gaviria will try to do at least as well as last year where he won the first road stage. Bauke Mollema will lead the Trek team. His words caused a stir because he had told Velonews that he would start in San Juan together with Alberto Contador. This provoked an immediate media reaction and the expectation of the Argentine public quickly calmed by the Trek team that made it clear that Contador will actually start much closer to home at the Tour of Andalusia in February. In the Trek team, we will instead find the Italian champion, sprinter Giacomo Nizzolo. 

Rui Costa, former World Champion, Andrea Guardini, Filippo Ganna and Colombian Darwin Atapuma are announced as part of the team from TJ Sport (it is still not known whether this will be the name of the team). Finally, another star will be sprinter Elia Viviani. His team, Team Sky, will not be present at the race but as was customary in San Luis, Italy will send a national team led by Viviani. Last year there was a little misunderstanding between the Sky riders and Jakub Marczko who both wore the Italian jersey. The latter won the final stage while trying to lead out Viviani.

Androni - Sidermec with Egan Bernal and Rodolfo Torres, Bardiani - CSF with Nicola Ruffoni, Caja Rural - RGA with Sergio Pardilla, Nippo - Vini Fantini with Julian Arredondo and former Giro winner Damiano Cunego, UnitedHealthcare with Lucas Haedo and Willier - Southeast with Filippo Pozzato are also on the entry list.

On the other hand, there is no Movistar. The Spanish team won the Tour de San Luis last year with Dayer Quintana, Nairo's little brother, who helped him to the victory. But the Spanish formation also has a more painful memory of Argentina since it was during the last Tour of San Luis that Adriano Malori was victim of his terrible crash.