Fifth in last year's Tour of Spain and second in the last Giro d'Italia,  Esteban Chaves (Orica-Bike Exchange) is one of the contenders for a podium in Madrid. The young Colombian climber can rely on his growing experience and on a solid team to support him, especially with Simon Yates as a helping hand in the mountains. While he will not set himself goals, Chaves insists he is still "progressing". A progress that could take him quite high.

How do you feel on the eve of your second Grand Tour of the season ?

I'm glad, I'm relaxed. We have a very good team to tackle this race and we are confident we have worked well to prepare for this.

Fifth in the Vuelta last year, second in the Giro in Spring, what ranking should we expect in Madrid ?

We'll see! The goal is to get the best GC result but at what place? It's a question I'm also asking myself. We have a very good squad. It's not only about Esteban Chaves. We have Simon Yates who is in great condition too, he showed it in San Sebastian. We have experienced men like Svein Tuft or Simon Gerrans and young guys who want to do well in their first Vuelta. It's a good group to go for the best GC result.

Other teams are strong as well. Who are your main rivals ?

You have Froome, Quintana, Contador… They are the riders with the most references. Others might slip my mind but anyway teams all come to a Grand Tour with a GC contender.

Last year, you started the Vuelta very strongly with two stage wins in the first week. How do you see the beginning of the race this year?

We're going to try to be in the front as usual. We're going to work as hard as possible, to work as a team and if we succeed in emulating those results, it will be great. Otherwise, it's not too important. Taking the Olympics aside, I have not ridden competitively for nearly three months. As a result I might not yet be in the right pace and it could show in the first stages.

Can you see decisive moments in the first stages?

Yes, we have tough finishes from the start. Monday will be the first important finish (in Mirador de Ezaro). If you look closely, there are only four of five stages for sprinters. All the other stages finish at the top. They are tough finishes, with 20 pc slopes or more, over just one kilometre at times. It will be very explosive. The last week will also be very difficult and we saw in the last Grand Tours that it was the moment when victory is decided. The goal is to keep improving to be able to hold over three weeks.