Rigoberto Uran confirms he’ll go for Giro-Tour double
Rising Colombian GC star aims for success at Giro, insists that plan for the Tour is to hunt for a stage and acquire experience
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Rigoberto Urán confirmed he’ll race both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in 2015. An Etixx-Quick-Step press release from the team’s training camp in Oliva, Spain, laid out the roadmap for the first half of the Colombian’s race season.
“I am really excited about my program and the races I have to do,” Urán said. “We chose a different approach than last year. In 2014, I started my season in Tour of Oman. This year we decided to change my race calendar a bit. I plan on racing ‘The Double’ [Giro d’Italia and Tour de France]. I will be racing two big grand tours, which changes my calendar needs a bit.”
The 27-year-old will begin 2015 in his home country, racing the Colombian national time trial and road championships, February 7 and 8.
“I start with the ambition that I’d like to win the time trial and do the best I can in the road race,” said Urán. “It would be an honor to wear the Colombian champion jersey in the European races and be like an ambassador of my country.”
Urán’s lead-up to the Giro will include Classic Sud Ardeche, Strade Bianche, and Tirreno-Adriatico. He’ll then race Volta ao Catalunya and Tour de Romandie.
“About the Giro, I saw the parcours and I think I can do well,” he said. “It is suited to my skills. There is also a long time trial. Everyone knows I work a lot on the time trial discipline in order to improve my performance.
“The Giro is a special race where anything can happen at any moment, but my goal is to be there and ready for the race no matter what can happen each day.” Urán finished second behind countryman Nairo Quintana at the 2014 Giro.
After three years, Urán will return to race the Tour de France in 2015. In his last Tour, the Colombian finished 23rd and held the white jersey for six days.
“I am really happy to come back to this race, one of the top races in the world,” he said. “I know it is difficult to do the Giro and the Tour at a high level, but as you know I like to think about things race-by-race, and I am able to focus on two different objectives during my season in this way. My approach will be different at the Tour than at the Giro. I will try to go there to do well, but it will be more linked to rediscovering the race and to stage hunt. But of course I’d also like to do well in the last week.”
Other GC favorites, like Alberto Contador, Joaquim Rodriguez, and possibly Vincenzo Nibali, have said they’ll target both the Italian and French grand tours.
