The launch of cycling's new ProTour competition means the three-week Giro d'Italia which starts today should be one of the best in years.

Although Lance Armstrong and his rival Jan Ullrich are not taking part, the best 20 teams will be at the start in the southern town of Reggio Calabria for the opening time trial.

The favourites include last year's winner Damiano Cunego and fellow Italians Ivan Basso, Gilberto Simoni, Stefano Garzelli and Paolo Savoldelli.

Alessandro Petacchi is again expected to dominate the flat stages.

Following Mario Cipollini's surprise recent retirement, Petacchi's main sprint rivals are likely to be Robbie McEwen, Baden Cooke, Stuart O'Grady, Jaan Kirsipuu, Tom Steels and Erik Zabel.

Starting in the toe of the Italian peninsula in Reggio Calabria and finishing in Milan, the 88th edition of the Giro covers a total of 3,464 kilometres and includes two time trials and important stages in the Dolomite and Alps.

The opening prologue time trial this evening is a 1.150-km blast down the seafront. The short distance and straight road means the winner will be decided by only a few hundredths of a second.

The first 10 stages take the race north via Naples, Rome and Florence and suit the sprinters and those riders looking for stage victories. The first key stage for the overall contenders is the 41.5-km time trial from Lamporecchio to Florence on May 15.

Cunego and Simoni will have to limit their losses so that they are within a few seconds of Basso, Savoldelli and Garzelli at the start of the four Dolomite mountain stages on May 19.

For the grand finale, the Giro heads east for three stages in the Italian Alps. Whoever manages to go clear here could seal overall victory just in time for the final celebratory stage to the centre of Milan on May 29.