For the second consecutive season, Gaszprom-Rusvelo will participate in the Ruta del Sol and have selected the following riders: Ildar Arslanov, Sergey Firsanov, Artem Ovechkin, Roman Maikin, Evgeny Shalunov, Igor Boev and Aleksey Rybalkin.  

Ildar Arslanov is a 21-year-old Russian who goes into his second season with the Rusvelo team which he joined from Itera - Katusha. He had his best results as a junior. In 2011 he was the Russian junior champion and won the Giro of Basilicata. In 2012 he was a double Russian junior champion as he won both the road race and the time trial. In Belgium he won the General Classification of Aubel - Thimister. Two years ago, he won a stage in the Giro della Valle d'Aosta in Italy. Last year he debuted as a professional in Andalusia.
 

Sergey Firsanov is a 33-year-old rider with 27 victories on his palmares. He has been with Rusvelo since the team was created and goes into his fifth year with his current employer. Previously, he rode for Itera - Katyusha and has also been with the Danish team Deisgna Kokken where he arrived from the Latvian Rietumu Banka team. Last season he got four individual wins: a atage in Tour of Azerbaijan, stage and the overall at the Grand Prix of Adygeya and the Mayor Cup. Two years ago he won a stage in the Tour of the Caucasus. In 2012 he won both the overall and a stage at the Vuelta a Madrad. His first win came as a U23 rider at the Giro della Toscana. It will be his second appearance in Andalusia.

Artem Ovechkin is 29 years old and has been with the team since its creation in 2012. He previously rode for Katusha, Lokomotiv and Giant Espoirs. He has six victories. Last year he got a stage win in the Tour of Slovenia. He is the Russian time trial champion and won the bronze medal in the road race. He has won the Duo Normand twice and won the bronze medal the European TT Championships as a U23 rider.

As an amateur in 2009 he won two stages in the Vuelta a Tarragona and Vuelta a Madrid. It will be his first appearance in Andalusia.

Roman Maikin is 25 years old and has also been with Rusvelo since its creation in 2012, where he arrived from Itera-Katusha. Last year he won a stage and the points jersey in the Vuelta a Cuba. He has also won the GP Sochi. It will be his first participation in the Ruta del Sol for the sprinter.

Evgeny Shalunov is another young rider at just 23 years of age. He has joined the team from Lokosphinx and already knows how to win in Spain. Last year he won a stage which finished on the La Morcuera climb, and the overall at the Vuelta a Madrid. He also got the win in the Trofeo Matteotti and was second in the Klasika Primavera Amorebieta. His first professional victory in Spain was in 2012 when he won the overall at the Vuelta a La Rioja. As an amateur, he won 8 races in Spain: Macario, Valenciaga, the first and second stages and the overall in the Vuelta Bidasoa, the first and third stages in the Vuelta A Coruña. He has also won the GP della Liberazione in Italy. He has not done the Vuelta Andalucia yet.

Aleksey Rybalkin is new to the team and joins from Lokosphinx at 23 years of age. He still doesn't have a professional victory, but three he was third in two stages and the GC at the Tour de l'Avenir. In 2013 he participated in the Vuelta a Bidasoa as an amateur and he won two stages and the overall classification. It will be his first appearance in Andalusia.

Igor Boev is 26 years old and goes into his fourth year with the team after arriving from Itera-Katusha. He has 10 individual victories. He has won the General Classification and three stages at the Five Rings of Moscow. He has won two stages in the Grand Prix of Adygeya and has also won a stage in the Tour of the Caucasus. The Mayor Cup and the Tour du Loir et Cher also feature on his palmares. It will be the debut in Andalusia for the sprinter.

The Rusvelo team will fight to be for every opportunity in every stage. Firsanov, Rybalkin and Shalunov provide GC options while Maikin and Boev can mix it up in the sprints.