Davide Formolo is training under the Spanish sun. The Italian rider is in Calpe and will spend New Year there before he leaves for the Cannondale-Garmin team presentation in New York. Later he will return to Spain in January and February, spending time first on Mount Teide and then in Mallorca.

Formolo was one of the revelations of the season, with a second place in the national championship where he was only beaten by Vincenzo Nibali, and a seventh place in the Tour of Switzerland. His captain at Cannondale Ivan Basso named him as his successor. The veteran Italian has even allowed him to use his masseuse, Carmine Magliaro. "Ivan is a great rider and I grew up watching his exploits on television. I hoped that I would one day be like him. He believes in me and I am basing my career on his advice," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. Formolo will now start a new phase of his career at Cannondale-Garmin while Basso will support Alberto Contador at Tinkoff-Saxo.

In his first year, Formolo showed that he has the character to be a leader. "When I'm on the bike, I always want to ride strong and be in front of everyone. Even in training I want to be first. I hate being on the wheel," he added. Nonetheless, he knows that there are still many steps to take. "I have to improve in the time trial and I'm working on that. I am sure that with the experience, I will get security," he said.

The Italian has escaped the cold and has found an ideal place to train in Spain. "I'm in Calpe, Spain, with Virna, my girlfriend. I'm here to train well as it was too cold at home. Rain is not a problem. The problem is that rain, snow and freezing makes it impossible. I arrived on December 26 and will stay here until January 7 when I will go to New York for the team presentation. From January 8 to 22 I will be at a training camp on Mount Teide with Marangoni, Bettiol and Koren," he said.

In November, he met his new teammates at Garmin-Cannondale when the team did a five-day sailing near the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. "I like Daniel Martin. Hesjedal is the leader, he always has the last word. He has strong character. And I've talked to [manager Jonathan] Vaughters who believes in me."

Formolo still hasn't a clear race schedule. "I think I will make my debut on January 28 in Mallorica. After the race, there will be a training camp with the team until February 12. Then I will have a better idea," he explained. "With the team we are considering to do the Giro or the Vuelta. Of course, the Giro has a different taste for me. I don't think I will do the classics, only a few one-day races in Italy. Being selected for the Worlds in my first year was great, beautiful. I felt how it was in the team. A useful experience for the coming years," he told the Italian sports daily.

Despite being in his first professional year, Formolo was very consistent in the 57 racing days. His best results were: 9th in the GP Lugano, 7th in the Tour of Taiwan, 4th in the Tour ofTurkey, 12th in the Tour des Fjords, 7th in the Tour of Switzerland, 2nd in the Italian Championships, 2nd in the GP Industria & Artigianato, 16th in the Tour de Pologne, 17th in the Tour of Alberta, 14th in the GP Québec, 20th in the GP Montréal, 12th in the Coppa Sabatini, 6th in the Giro dell'Emilia and 14th in the Japan Cup.