Miguel Angel Benito (1993, Caja Rural) has just finished his first professional year and has offered glimpses of his potential. Now he hopes to "learn and grow" next season and has set an "ambitious" goal: to do the Vuelta a Espana.

Benito looks to 2016 after the first meeting with the team this week in Tudela. "The goal is to keep learning from the veterans and growing. The big step is that I would like to be in the nine-rider team for the Vuelta a Espana. That is my big goal. I know it is ambitious because we are 20 riders for nine spots. But, hey, you have to dream if you want to achieve something,” he says in a press release from his team.

A reference in the U23 ranks in the last four years, he prefers to keep his feet on the ground regarding his sporting future. "I dreamed of becoming a professional cyclist. I looked far ahead and now I have reached my targets gradually. This year has been about learning about the requirements of the category and the complexity of the races. I must go step by step. Above all, I would like to progress in the one-week races and to fight for a stage or a general classification. That is something I hope for," he explains.

Having turned 22 in September, he knows that he is yet to find out where his strengths lie. "Every amateur rider, especially in Spain, is complete. He has a bit of everything and it’s the same for me. I defend myself in almost every discipline. I can be fast in a small group, work when the team asks me to and also do well on a climbing. So I'm finding my strengths. For now, my role is that of a versatile domestique. I have helped Barbero and Pello (Bilbao) much, even Txurruka this year. I will find my space,” he says. "I like the stage races because I feel better each passing day. In one-day races, you play everything on one card. In stage races, it depends a bit more on consistency," he adds.

Looking back, he is satisfied with his performance and work in his pro debut. "The balance of the year is very positive: I learned everything I could and I've had a great time in this second family. I am very happy with my first year in the category. The changes have been few but very big, small details that are perhaps neglected but necessary to step up," he says.

He was even close to a first win as he was third in Villadiego at the  end of the third stage of the Vuelta a Burgos behind Isaychev and Busato. "Burgos was the highligt. Just after the finish, I told myself that I had made a youthful mistake by attacking first. It is a mistake made by the inexperienced, but I hope not to make it again in the future. I did a period of demanding home training and races like San Sebastián and Burgos and even the USA Pro Challenge but there I suffered because of the altitude. I found it hard to adapt," he recalls.

He was again the best Spanish rider in the U23 Worlds in Richmond, 20th after having been 18th in Ponferrada. "I arrived with expectations of doing better and I was physically fit. When the gas was opened, I could not be at my best although it is true that at that time only three or four riders excelled. I left with a bittersweet taste because I expected to do better. Hopefully it will not be my last Worlds and it also serves as a learning experience," he says.

Meanwhile, he finds time to study Physical Activity Science at the University of León. He is "a year late" because he first studyied Industrial Engineering. Another joy is that his brother Pablo Benito will ride at the Caja Rural-RGA amateur team.