Three competitions will open the month of March for the Movistar Team, to be joined from Wednesday by Tirreno-Adriatico. In Italy, Alejandro Valverde will lead an eight-man group conducted by José Luis Jaimerena at Strade Bianche (Saturday 5) and the GP Industria e Artigianato di Larciano (Sunday 6).

The nine 'sterrato' portions (52.8km) en route to Siena's Piazza del Campo, followed by the four San Baronto climbs a day later, will be the main difficulties for the UCI's World No. 1 from 2015, joined in both races by Giovanni Visconti - who will act as local on Sunday - and Andrey Amador. The roster is completed by Jorge Arcas, Fran Ventoso, Jasha Sütterlin, Dayer Quintana and Marc Soler.

Also on Sunday, the Movistar Team will take the start in the 74th edition of Paris-Nice, over eight stages until March 13. A prologue ITT in Conflans, four dirt sections towards Vendôme on Monday and a difficult hilltop finish at Mont Brouilly on Wednesday will lead the peloton into a demanding last weekend. The Mont Ventoux / Chalet Reynard, on Friday will precede the seven-climb, mountain stage six to the Madone d'Utelle, on Saturday, one day before the classic loop around Nice wraps things up.

José Luis Arrieta and José Luis Laguía will command a line-up including Juanjo Lobato - with several sprinting chances throughout the week - and second-placed finishers in both the Volta ao Algarve (Ion Izagirre) and the Tour du Haut Var (Jesús Herrada). Also in this race will be Rubén Fernández, Imanol Erviti, José Herrada, Gorka Izagirre and José Joaquín Rojas.