The 2014 Vuelta a Espana was Lawson Craddock’s debut Grand Tour and the young American on Giant-Alpecin says he is determined to put in a good ride in 2015 after abandoning last year.

“Every since dropping out last year,” Craddock told VeloNews, “I’ve been really focused on coming back here and redeeming myself.”

The 23 year old has had a bad season, badly injured Down Under where he was kept out of riding at all for two whole months. But things are getting better, with a thidr place in a hard Tour de Pologne stage just before he rode the Vuelta.

“It’s definitely been a tough season, I’ve just come back from a tough season and trying to get back into racing. I’ve progressed nicely though,” Craddock said.

“I knew that taking a couple of weeks off in January from the crash, I’d be a lot fresher at the end of the season. I’ve trained hard for this and I’m motivated to be here.”