Alejandro Valverde and Ivan Sosa lead Movistar in the Giro d'Italia, with veteran Spaniard Valverde paired with the Colombian in good form.

Valverde, 42, is in the final season of his racing career and will be competing in his second Giro.

The extent of the Spaniard's ambition is yet to be clearly defined. With the Vuelta a España coming up later in the year, he is said to be focused on winning a stage in Italy, but a challenge to the overall classification cannot be completely ruled out. Valverde has three wins and a high ranking this season.

Movistar has made no mention of roles, ambitions, or pecking order, other than naming Valverde and Sosa as the two "spearheads."

Sosa, a Colombian climber with relatively few time trials, may be assigned to GC. Sosa, 24, who signed with Ineos Grenadiers in the off-season, will have free rein to provide leadership in the Spanish team's first Grand Tour.

His stage and overall wins at last week's Vuelta Asturias were a timely showcase of his pre-Giro form and have made him the talk of the town in a Giro without an overwhelming favorite to win.

Valverde and Sosa add six domestiques to the Movistar lineup. An important cog is Antonio Pedro, who has finished in the top 22 in the last two Giro's and was fifth with Sosa in last week's Asturias.

José Joaquín Rojas will gain experience in his 20th Grand Tour and will be joined in the engine room by Jorge Arcas, Sergio Samitier, and Oia Lazcano The eight-man team will be joined by 26-year-old American rider Will Barta, who will be joined by two other riders, including the likes of Jorge Arcas and Sergio Samitier.

The 2022 Giro d'Italia opens Saturday in Budapest, Hungary, and closes May 29 in Verona. There will be a 9.2 km time trial on the second stage and a 17 km time trial on the final day, but otherwise the race will be dominated by climbs.