Jesus Herrada has had a very gradual progression in the professional peloton. With an overall top 10 in the Tour de Romandie and two wins, the Spaniard took another step in 2014 and now hopes to continue his steady improvement in 2015.

It is a good time to take stock of the past year and start to plan the race schedule for the coming season. Having taken another step forward in 2014, Jesus Herrada reflected on his achievements when he spoke to Biciclismo at the recent Movistar team gathering in Pamplona.

"This year I have taken a good step and I must continue to improve, be ambitious and more often be in front in important races," he said.

Herrada is part of the excellent 1990 generation alongside riders like Quintana, Sagan and Kwiatkowski.

"I remember riding against them in the youth ranks and I even beat Sagan in a stage with the Spanish national team," he said but refuses to draw too many comparisons. "My year has gone well. They have improved faster and are at another level. But over the next year, I can get, next year or in 2016."

It is a question of early or gradual maturation. The youngest Herrada is confident in his process and follows the trend of Spanish cyclists.

"We start to emerg at 28 or 30 years of age and continue to improve. Look at Alejandro [Valverde], Purito [Rodriguez] and Contador. Yes, it is true that in other countries they are already at the top at 24 years of age like in France where Pinot and Bardet have come a long way in a short time. But we have to focus on ourselves and give our best."

For Herrada, it is important to feel constant progress.

"I have noticed that I have improved a lot in the mountains. I must still progress in the high mountains because in the medium mountains I can already defend myself. But to be with the best, I have to improve there and in the time trial too," he said.

To get better in the high mountains, it is often necessary to lose weight. Herrada will follow the trend.

"Yes, it  is a logical thing," he admitted. "Bu very often, if you lose weight, you usually lose strength. So I have to see what I can do to reach the top without losing what I already have."

Herrada will do his maximum to improve. He has a rough idea about his schedule for next season and his goals are clear: one-week stage races like the Tour de Romandie where he finished in the top 10 in 2014.

"If I could fight for the win instead of the top 10, it would be an important step," he said.

He also plans to do the classics like Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

"Fleche is shorter and maybe I can be good in those races in a few years. I like those races, the rolling hills of two, three kilometers. When I have done them, I have felt pretty good and yes, I would like to be a contender in a few years."

And of course he would like to test himself in a grand tour too.

"At least I would like to give it a try in a grand tour. Now we will focus on Nairo [Quintana] because he is at another level but in a few years I would certainly like to see if I can be a contender or not," he said. It could both be the Giro and the Tour which he did this summer with some success. He still remembers the finish in Paris as "a relief". He used a lot of energy in the first days to protect Valverde and so he was tired at the end.

"It was my first grad tour and I did not know how I would feel in the third week. The truth is that I felt quite good. When you looked back on the first week after the finish in Paris, it felt like it happened a year ago. It was a dream to reach the finish. When you take the start, the first stages are dangerous. Completely flat, everybody wants to be in front, you have your own captain and you have to achieve something. You think that it will be hard to get to the final week but the body recovers and it is a satisfaction to reach Paris," he recalled before he expressed some optimism.

"On climbs of 10, 15 and 20km like the Tourmalet, I was not up there with the pure climbers but I think I defended myself pretty well. If I get a bit more endurance, I think I will be able to be in contention for a stage."