For many, Fernando Gaviria of Etixx-QuickStep is set for a glittering career after taking his first WorldTour win in the first sprint he contested at Tirreno-Adriatico. For his DS, Brian Holm, he is “one of the best neo-pros I’ve ever seen.”

“I’m sharing a room with him in Tirreno-Adriatico,” said teammate and race leader Zdenek Stybar. “He only speaks Spanish and doesn’t say much. It’s not like he is shouting out how confident he is. He shows it on the bike, which is the best way to do so, I think. I think that this guy will win a lot of races.”

Stybar says that the 21-year-old back to back World Omnium Champion from Colombia can even have chance at Milan-Sanremo next Sunday.

“He can surprise us,” Stybar said. “It’s a very long race, but not the hardest race. Fernando does really well on the climbs, so we will see, but I think he can bring us a good surprise.”

Speaking for himself, Gaviria, who had already beaten Cavendish and Greipel before he was even a fully fledged pro, says he wants to prove that Colombia is not just for climbers.

“It’s hard to be a sprinter in Colombia, the roads are up and down. The races are for climbers. You have to be skinny, small,” Gaviria said. “The stage in San Luis that opened the door for me, that changed my life. I hope my way of racing will change the way people think about cyclists from Colombia.”