Delio Fernandez (1986) will return to the professional peloton with the French Delko Marseille Provence KTM team. He last raced as a pro with Xacobeo Galicia before joining Portuguese cycling for five season.

The Tour de San Luis (January 18-24), the Tour of the Mediterranean (February 11-14) and the Tour de Provence (February 23-25​) will be his first three races, an early start that he is not used to. "The Portuguese season never begins in January and the races in February and March are not the most important of the year, so this season I had to change things and start to train earlier than usual and with more intensity," he tells Velofutur, his management agency.

The first objective display the blue jersey of his new home. "The team has insisted that they want us to have a good start to the season. We have to keep in mind that there are many invitations to get in these first months. And we want to go to as many WorldTour races as possible. Furthermore, many of the first races of the French calendar are held in Marseille or the surrounding area so it is always important that we do well at home," he says.

Fernandez feels ready to tackle the first part of the calendar. "Let's start with many races, hoping for a good level and, above all, to get the necessary pace. I've prepared well and I was lucky that I had a good winter from the meteorological point of view so I hope to take advantage of all the work I've done," he says.