In recent years, Fabio Duarte has not lived up to his own expectations. Now he wants to turn his career around and after three years at Team Colombia he will reveal his new team very soon. "I have to change my mindset and the way I train, " the 2008 U23 world champion tells the Colombian Cycling Federation.
At 28, Fabio Duarte is reaching his physical maturity and he does not want to miss the opportunity. He wants to change his destiny.
"I took a step forward with Team Colombia and it has led me to another team. In the next few days, everybody will know what my next step will be and where I will ride next year. I am going to be very focused and motivated to have a very good season and to try to achieve my goals," he says in an interview with the Colombian Cycling Federation.
Agai, Duarte was close to a big win in the Giro d'Italia, finishing second in Montecampione and Panarotta after having already been runner-up in 2013 on Tre Cime di Lavaredo and in 2011 in Orvieto.
"This year I did all my preparation in Italy and took several places of honour in some races. But the season ended badly because I failed to get a win. I didn't win a stage or anything but I can not change it," he says.
His last wins were the 2012 Coppa Sabatini and a stage in the 2011 Giro del Trentino which is very little compared to the lofty expectations that were created when he won the U23 Worlds in Varese in front of Simone Ponzi, John Degenkolb, Ben Swift and Rui Costa. Now he wants to prove his quality once and for all.
"I think I should change the way I train, find a trainer that will help me train harder and do what it takes. Sometimes I have made mistakes in my preparation. I am very well for a day or two, then I have a bad day, then I am back on top and so on. I went to the Giro with a good preparation but I suffered from hypothermia in the Gavia stage and lost time. Two days earlier I had finished second in Montecampione, then I was bad, then I improved and finished second again and so on. Something about the preparation and my mentality is not right. I have to change it a bit," Duarte suggests.
"I think I needs something that motivates me. I think I need a coach who trusts me and will he me do the work and the kilometres you need to do well in a grand tour. You have to do things well to achieve a good result. I think that's the main thing. When you're a professional, you have to know how to prepare or have a trusted coach," he tells Fedeciclismo.
He only expects to find that in the WorldTour.
"Yes, that's what I imagine and like I had the dream of winning the Worlds, I now have the dream of winning a Giro, a Vuelta a Espana, a Tour de France. But to do that, I need to prepare well. I believe I have missed some kilometres and work in the preparations I have done in these last few years. I have the right mentality but on some days I feel that I need more kilometres. These are mistakes that you make during the preparation and so we I have to find someone who can help me in the area to reach the level that I want," he says.
Duarte looks forward to a new challenge in 2015 and wants to start a new chapter that will bring him to the top but for now he is taking it easy.
"For now, I have a break a is recovering. This year I finished pretty tired and I have had 20 days without training but I have been doing some physical activity. I have been going for walks and done some exercises not to gain too much weight," he says.
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