Richie Porte is ready to test out his pre-Giro d’Italia form at the Giro del Trentino with a tough climbing test expected this week.

The Tasmanian leads the UCI World Tour rankings following a stellar start to the season, but now has his eyes firmly set on May and the Giro.

Trentino will act as a final build-up for the first Grand Tour of the year, with Porte recently completing a stint at altitude at the team’s Tenerife training camp.

“The camp has gone really well,” Porte confirmed to TeamSky.com. “We’ve got a lot of work done, and a lot of climbing. I feel like I’m right where I need to be three weeks out from the Giro.

“It was a really good group of motivated guys - Chris (Froome), Leo (Konig), Wout (Poels) and Nico (Roche). Everybody was on top of their diet and working hard. It’s been a good 12 days and I think it’s just what we need to be competitive in the Giro.”

Climbing will be essential to any good performance in Italy, and the Tenerife camp gave Porte plenty of opportunities to test his legs.

“You’re riding up to 2950 metres above sea level every day so you’re going to get some big climbing in,” he explained. “That’s what we’ve done. It’s hard training at altitude but that’s why we’re here. It’s not the most pleasant of exercises but it certainly works.

“If you look at the training stress then the days where we do efforts are right up there with the hardest days of the season. Everybody came into the camp in good condition, and we all left better than we started.”

Next on the agenda for the 30 year old is Trentino, a traditional final build-up race to the Giro d’Italia.

Going into the four-day event with an open mind, Porte admits: “I think it’s going to be good to see where my form is at. I’m not sure exactly how I’ll come out of altitude. Sometimes you’re flying and other times it takes a little bit to get going. But I’m really looking forward to my last hit out before the Giro.

“Every day since the off season I’ve been thinking about the Giro, every time I ride my bike. I am really looking forward to May 9th and getting everything started.

“I think this season I’m back to where I need to be. Obviously Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya went well. Being able to win those big races is good for your confidence. I’m trying not to get caught up in the pressure of it and just trying to look at it as another race. But I think for me it’s my big opportunity to go and lead a big race for the team. And whatever happens, happens.”