Having had his first meeting with the Lampre-Merida team management earlier this week, Rui Costa has started to put together his calendar for his 2014 season. As already confirmed, the Tour de France will be the main target for the world champion who also plans to focus on the Paris-Nice, Ardennes classics and the defence of his rainbow jersey.

With the rainbow jersey on his shoulder, Rui Costa will find himself firmly in the spotlight in 2014 and the Portuguese has started to put together the calendar that will allow him to honour his status as world champion. Earlier this week he joined future teammates Filippo Pozzato, Sacha Modolo, Roberto Ferrari, Damiano Cunego and Diego Ulissi at a meeting with the Lampre-Merida team management where the first rough draft of his 2014 schedule was discussed.

Costa has long been known for his ability to ride at a high level in all races he enters and the Portuguese clearly emphasized that he wants to continue this tradition. This was certainly the case in 2013 when he finished 4th in Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana and 5th in the Volta ao Algarve in February and since went on to make top results in all months until he ended his season with a 4th place in the Tour of Beijing. The only exceptions were the months of March and August, with a crash in the Paris-Nice forcing him to recover for most of the former and the latter being used to recover from the Tour de France.

As already confirmed by Costa and team manager Giuseppe Saronni, the major goal will be the Tour de France where he will get his chance to lead Lampre-Merida. The desire to get a leadership role in the world's biggest bike race was the main reason for his decision to leave Movistar where he was working in support of Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde.

According to Biciciclismo, Costa is likely to start his season in the Mallorca Challenge in early February. Having had a long season, he has refused to start his season already in January at the Tour de San Luis. He will next race on home soil in the Volta ao Algarve before turning his attention to Paris-Nice which will be his first major target of the year.

His next objective will be to perform well in the Ardennes classics where he will be part of a strong trio with Damiano Cunego and Diego Ulissi. He may use the Vuelta al Pais Vasco to prepare for the races and may end his spring season in the Tour de Romandie where he has finished 3rd twice in a row. The month of May will be spent resting and training for the Tour de France with the Tour de Suisse - which he won in both 2012 and 2013 - is likely to be his final preparation race.

The second half of the season will be focused on his jersey defence on the hilly course in the Spanish town of Ponferrada. As it was the case this year, he will skip the Vuelta and use an alternative schedule to prepare for the battle for the rainbow jersey.