Having made its grand tour debut in the Giro d'Italia earlier this year, Colombia now hopes to get a wildcard invitation for the Tour de France. Manager Claudio Corti hopes that the impressive results from Colombian riders will allow the team to participate in the world's biggest race next summer.

It has been an outstanding year for Colombian cycling which has put several riders in the spotlight in the biggest races of the world. Nairo Quintana shone in the Tour de France, Carlos Betancur and Rigoberto Uran excelled in the Giro and Sergio Henao was one of the dominant riders in the Vuelta al Pais Vasco and the Ardennes classics.

In addition to those stars, the Colombia team has continued its steady progress on the world scene. In just its second year of existence, the team received an invitation for the Giro d'Italia. The team failed to place a rider in the top 10 or GC or win a stage but they rode an aggressive race with Fabio Duarte finishing 2nd on the big mountain stage to Tre Cime Di Lavaredo. Later in the year, the team won their first WorldTour race when Darwin Atapuma took victory on a stage in the Tour de Pologne while Leonardo Duque won two races in the second half of the season.

Next year the team once again hopes to receive an invitation for a grand tour and general manager Claudio Corti hopes that they will get their chance on the biggest scene of them all. The Italian was present at yesterday's unveiling of the Tour de France course and hopes that his good relationship with organizers ASO will allow the team to receive one of four coveted wildcards. The team has received invitation to ASO races like Fleche Wallonne and Criterium International in the past and is ready to take the next step on the ASO ladder.

“Particularly after the outstanding results collected by Colombian athletes on the World stage, we believe ASO looks with interest at our team and the whole movement it represents," Corti said. "The important invitations we were granted by ASO during our first two season stand there to show their consideration.

“In addition, it is always nice to meet director Prudhomme and his cooperators, a group of people we always worked proficiently with, and hopefully we will have the pleasure to do it again in the number of prestigious events they organize."

Colombia will be up against teams like IAM, Cofidis, Bretagne, MTN-Qhuebeka and NetApp-Endura in the battle for the four available wildcards.