Colombian Fernando Gaviria (La Ceja, 28), Movistar’s star signing for 2023, hopes to get back on the path of success in the Vuelta a San Juan which starts this Sunday and finishes on the 29th.
After two seasons with only three victories, the man from Antioquia is enthusiastic about the new blue jersey of the Spanish team.
“I’m happy with the reception in the team, I’m looking forward to starting this race, which is important because wins already count. I know the race and I know I have options, but there are tough rivals who have also looked at the end of the stages,” he said.
Gaviria, who has 5 stages in the Giro and 2 in the Tour to his name, wants to once again put his shoulders under the best of the mass arrivals. In San Juan, the faces will be seen as specialists such as the Dutchman Fabio Jakobsen or the Irishman San Bennett, among others. Now he comes with enthusiasm to a team without a sprinter tradition.
“It could be a good season. In the team they want to change to a sprinter. There are runners who have never done the work for specialists in mass arrivals, but others, like Albert Torres, have a world-class pistard. He is a rider that I will be able to get more out of than, for example, Enric Mas”, he explained.
Fernando Gaviria made his debut at the Vuelta a San Juan in 2017 and has 8 wins, making him a record holder. Six years later, with the blue Movistar jersey, the man from Antioquia feels like a more mature cyclist with new expectations. Last season he had only 2 victories, both in the Tour of Oman.
“Now I consider myself a slightly more mature runner. I started training on the track again this year and I think I can do better than in previous seasons where there were difficulties. I hope to do well,” he said.
Regarding the moment of Colombian cycling, Gaviria believes that “it is at the top and continues to excite”. “Cycling changes and we are not robots with batteries changed and that’s it,” he stressed.
“Cycling in Colombia is at the level of popularity of football, and it’s a pity that the Tour Colombia can’t. What happens is that runners like Pogacar or Vingegaard have come out and nothing can be done about it. We continue to have a great level in Colombia,” he concluded.
Source: El heraldo
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
