Carlos Betancur emerged as a future grand tour star when he finished 5th overall and won the white jersey in the Giro d'Italia. In 2014 he has set his sights on the Tour de France and dreams about replicating that success and so ride into Paris with another white jersey on his shoulders.

For several years, Carlos Betancur was known as a big talent but while he rode for Acqua e Sapone, the biggest team didn't take much notice of the former U23 silver medalist. Despite dominating the Italian one-day scene in 2012, only Ag2r-La Mondiale showed any kind of interest to sign him for the 2013 season.

That proved to be a wise decision by the French team. After a slow start to the season where he rode the Tour de San Luis in January but postponed his European debut until the Volta a Catalunya in late March, he started to get the ball rolling in the Vuelta al Pais Vasco in April. He finished 7th overall after being narrowly beaten into second by compatriot Sergio Henao on stage 3 and went on to finish 3rd and 4th in Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege respectively.

However, his most impressive performance was delivered in the Giro d'Italia where he seemed to be the second best climber behind eventual winner Vincenzo Nibali. His time trial abilities and an unfortunate crash meant that he couldn't do better than 5th but he won the white jersey for best young rider and was 2nd on no less than three stages.

The second part of his season wasn't as successful as expected after personal problems destroyed his preparations for the Vuelta a Espana. However, he gradually rode himself into form and ended his season in the Tour of Beijing where he was 12th overall.

In 2014, he plans to make his debut in the Tour de France. While Domenico Pozzovivo will carry the Ag2r flag in the Giro, Betancur will be part of three-pronged attack in La Grande Boucle as he lines up with fellow GC riders Jean-Christophe Peraud and Romain Bardet.

Betancur may have been brought up through the ranks in Italy but has always been fascinated by the biggest race in the world. He was quick to put his hands up to do the Tour when the race schedules for the coming season was outlined and he dreams about replicating his success from the Giro next year: to become the second Colombian in a row to win the white jersey in the Tour after Nairo Quintana's triumph in this year's edition of the race.

"I think it is the world's biggest race," he told Biciciclismo. "As a kid I always watched it and encouraged Armstrong and Botero. I have done to Giri d' Italia which is an important and tough race, but the dream of every rider is the Tour because it is where you graduate. I have a lot of respect for it but I am eager to do well and prove that I can be good there. The white jersey is a dream. I will work very hard to get it."

The Giro is known for its many steep, uneven climbs while the Alpine passes are longer and more regular. While Betancur has become famous for his stinging attacks, he claims to prefer the kind of climbs that are found in France.

"In Colombia I am better on long, gradual climbs that are less steep," he said. "In the Giro, they are shorter and harder and I did well there. I hope to adapt equally well to the Tour mountains. I have several climbs where I train. Concordia ad Jericho, 24 kilometres, Minas, 44 kilometres, and to get home I also have to do a 7 km climb. Every day."

For Betancur, the 2013 Giro was the first grand tour where he went into the race with GC ambitions. He handled the unknown territory surprisingly well and didn't appear to fade at all despite already having a long spring season in his legs.

"In a demanding Giro, it was very important to recover well," he said. "In Colombia I have raced for one or two weeks and I felt fine after three weeks so I am happy with my performance in the Giro d'Italia."

To perform well in France, Betancur will, however, have to face the feared stage that goes over the Paris-Roubaix pave. The terrain is an unknown for the Colombian and he will specifically prepare for the challenge.

"This year's preparation delivered a lot of good results and I will do the same next year," he said. "I will specifically prepare for the cobbles and hope to not lose too much time. I must admit that I am not used to them."

The Tour de France may be the main objective but it won't be the only one. This year Betancur proved that he can be a real contender in the Ardennes classics and he hopes to go back to the hard one-day races to do even better in 2014.

To reach those races in the best condition, he has created a race schedule that will see him ride a lot in France to also prepare for the Tour. He will start at the Tour de San Luis and then do the GP Marseillaise, Tour Mediterraneen, some Italian classics, Paris-Nice, Milan-San Remo, Criterium International and the Tour of the Basque Country before lining up in the Ardennes. He will finish his spring season in the Tour de Romandie before taking a mid-season break. The Tour de Suisse will be his final race to prepare for the Tour.

"I like all three," he said." The team wants me to do well and I will prepare for that in the first races. I am already in a good condition and the preparation is going well. In Argentina I will be at 60-70% and from there I will approach Paris-Nice which is my first objective.

"I really want to be in the best condition for the Ardennes because I really want to do well there," he added. "This year I was a protagonist and with every passing year, you want more. To win? I want to be a contender in those races, it's my mentality. I hope to do well. I will go to Europe a long time before to prepare myself better. This year I will spend more time in Europe, mainly to prepare for the Tour.

"After Romandie, I have two months to prepare for the Tour. After a month at home, I go back to do reconnaissance of some of the Tour stages, like the one with the pavés, and then I do the Tour de Suisse to arrive at the Tour in good condition."

2013 was Betancur's first year in on the WorldTour and he had more success than he had ever imagined.

"I am pleased with my season," he said. "I did my best in both the first and the second part. For me, it was a fantastic year. And it was a big surprise. I expected to be good in all those races but not be so close to the best. That gives me a lot of motivation for 2014."

The second part of the season may not have lived up to the first one but Betancur regards it as a success.

"I had many problems at home," he said. "To finish the Vuelta was a big achievement for me. That's why I say that the whole year was very good because my condition was not at its best. In the World Championships and China I was already better  and  I ended the season well."

Betancur is now in Colombia and will travel to Argentina for the Tour de San Luis in January.