Team Colombia will participate in Argentina’s San Luis for the first time

The Colombian team will be led by Fabio Duarte and Miguel Angel Rubiano. Duarte, soon to become a father, will focus on success in the steep mountains, and newcomer Rubiano will again focus on the overall. Last year he was seventh overall, and in 2012 he grabbed the KOM jersey.

The Argentinian stage race has in recent years become a magnet for some of cycling’s biggest stars, and Team Colombia will get plenty of experience competing against the big guns; both on the steep slopes as well as in the flat stages. The ladder will be contested by sprinters Edwin Avila and Leonardo Duque.

Team Colombia is preparing for 2014 which they hope will also see their entry in one of the Grand Tours. They attended the Giro presentation, and manager Claudio Corti is looking forward to their potential inclusion.

"It will be a demanding race, similar to 2013 to some extent, and we hope the weather will give us the chance to enjoy the show such great mountains are able to provide," said Corti. "Personally, I am glad the Val Martello stage [stage 16] will be back, after being cancelled in 2013 due to snow: it's a high-altitude stage, featuring both Gavia and Stelvio, and definitely one suited to the Colombian athletes' qualities."

For now though, Sports Director Oscar Pellicioli will field a strong 6-man line-up for the Argentinian Tour.

Line-up: Fabio Duarte, Miguel Angel Rubiano, Edwin Avila, Leonardo Duque, Juan Esteban Arango, Juan Pablo Valencia.