Esteban Chaves showed that he is cut out for racing in Grand Tours after taking two stages on route to fifth overall in the Vuelta a Espana, after two difficult Giros in 2014 and 2015 had caused some to cast doubts. Chaves will once again target the Giro-Vuelta double in 2016 to prove his Vuelta wasn’t a one-off performance.

“He’s going to have a similar template as 2015: Go for the Giro and Vuelta again,” sport director, Matt White said to VeloNews. “The Vuelta this year was no fluke. If he can get back to that level, and I think it’ll be no problem for him, then he’s going to be quite competitive in the Giro.”

“Esteban is passionate for those races and wants to improve on those results. Before we attempt the Tour’s general classification, it’d be good to get another grand tour under his belt.”

White says that Chaves can win Grand Tours, as he has a team who can protect him, great climbing talent and he knows how to look after himself, which the 25 year old’s GC rivals aren’t often able to do.

“His biggest strength … For a little guy, he handles himself well in the bunch, which is not normal. He’s a quiet guy, but a great leader. He’s very hungry, he’s very hungry to win,” White said about the Colombian.