The Slovakian star will look to secure an eighth sprinters' green jersey in the International Cycling Union (UCI) race, which he won back in 2015.

He could face a strong challenge in sprints, with Germany’s Marcel Kittel and Britain’s Mark Cavendish also taking to the startline.

The latter has had an injury hit start to the season, with a crash at Milan San-Remo having ruled Cavendish out for several weeks, preventing him from representing the Isle of Man at the Commonwealth Games.

The Dimension Data rider will hope to make an impact on his return to WorldTour racing.

Adam Yates, whose brother Simon currently leads the Giro d’Italia, will also be returning from injury after a six week absence.

The Briton could be among the general classification contenders, but he may race in a support role following the injury.

Poland’s Rafal Majka and France’s Tony Gallopin could make an impact on the race, which was won by New Zealand’s George Bennett last year.

The seven stage men's race is set to begin in Long Beach in Los Angeles tomorrow, with a 133 kilometre course,

General classification riders will be expected to come to the fore during the second stage, with the climb on Gibraltar Road set to prove a major test.

King City will host the third stage, which is poised to conclude at the Laguna Seca raceway.

A 34.7 kilometre individual time trial could prove another key stage for the overall classification on stage four, which will run from San Jose to Morgan Hill.

Elk Grove and South Lake Tahoe will be the finish venues on stages five and six, with the latter another tough climbing stage.

The race will conclude with a 146km stage in Sacramento.

A three-stage women's race will run from May 17 to 19, covering more than 300km of racing.

Dutch rider Anna van der Breggen claimed the women’s title last year, but is not set to feature on this occasion.

American riders Katie Hall and Coryn Rivera are expected to receive strong local support, as they look to improve on their second and sixth place finishes in 2017.