Julian Arredondo is, at 26, the lastest rider from this wonderful generation of Colombian cyclists. In 2014, he landed in the Trek World Tour team, where he took four wins, among which the stage and the mountain jersey Giro d'Italia punctuate his resume. But this doesn’t reflect his greatest passion: the classics.

Arredondo spoke exclusively to Ciclo 21 in the Trek hote in the Alicante town of L'Alfas del Pi. 

“This season was quite positive and not just by what I did in the Giro. From San Luis, I was very strong. There I was fourth, winning two stages, in Tirreno fifth, then I went to the GP Camaiore and was third. They are smaller races, but I think the most important thing was the Giro d'Italia. For my first year I think I did pretty well and that makes me very optimistic for a 2015 that can be much better.”

GP Camaiore was not the only race that the Colombian excelled at. He was 11th in La Fleche Wallonne, almost top 20 in Liege, finished 16th in the Milan-Turin and was 5th in the Japan Cup. Despite his results, he prefers the one-day races.

“I prefer Classics. I rode in Italy at youth level for four years and most of the races there were one-day events. I really like them and I know how to ride them. For my first year World Tour I have been always there with the best and I think in 2015, as many will know, it will be much better.”

Arredondo is in no doubt as to who Colbia and the rest of the riders from the country owe for their great success in Europe.

“I think the person responsible for all this has been Rigo [Rigoberto Uran, Etixx runner-Quick Step] which is what has shaped and somehow has guided us all. He was the one who has opened the way to most. There is something very important thing to note is the fact that we are all young. This year Colombia has won the Giro and has also 

the second placed rider and King of the Mountains. They have won stages and in all races we have been protagonists. Therefore I believe that we will not have to look at five years before we have a winner of the Tour de France, either Nairo (Quintana, Movisrar) or Rigo. I, personally, I would like to win a classic and still be among the best as I could do this year.”

Arredondo is following a similar schedule to 2014, with another Tirreno appearance before he makes his assault on the Ardennes Classics. 

“I'll start in Oman and will continue to Tirreno-Adriatico, Tour of the Basque Country and from there we will focus on the main goal: Fleche Wallonne, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Amstel Gold Race. Then I'll take a break and return to focus on the Tour. I will do the Tour of Switzerland before the Tour. So that's what is already decided, then it will depend on the results.”

As someone who excels on steep climbs, naturally the Tour de France would suit Arredondo, with the Mur de Huy and Mur de Bretagne in the first week.

“The Tour route I like, yes. The cobbled stage is complicated, but it does not stress me because I am not going to the Tour to fight for the general classification, but my job will be to help the team and find some stages and actually going to try to win a stage will give the chance to do well in the mountains classification.”

He hasn’t been set a goal from the team in the Ardennes, but he wants to excel. With Bauke Mollema arriving from Belkin, the two will share leadership duties.

“We have Bauke who has done very well this year. He also will be one of the leaders in those races, but the big goal is to get in position to do well and be a star. The team has not made me a target, but I've set them as a major target of the year.”

Arredondo’s best performance in the Ardennes was in Fleche Wallonne, which finishes on a steep climb and suits him the best. This is the Classic he says he dreams of winning the most above all others.

Nairo Quintana recently expressed his desire to be Olympic champion and the truth is that the course looks very hard. But as an Ardennes classic racer, Arrdedondo will also like the look of the course and is possibly better suited to it than Quintana is.

“Nairo is a racer in stages for around three weeks. Not a racer for one day. It will be difficult for to Colombia make a decision and take the right riders. You can be very good in a three-week race, but such tests are not the same as the classics. The Olympics make me very excited and I really want to go. It will be a difficult decision for the team because there are so many Colombian riders in the World Tour and many of us can do very well there. I hope to join the team and to be protagonist and help people like Rigoberto Uran, who does very well in one-day races. Let's see what happens because of what is certain is that it is a very hard course and we Colombians adapt well to hard courses.”