Carlos Barbero (1991, Caja Rural-RGA) is one of the future stars of Spanish cycling. In his first year at the pro level, he won five races, achieved several places of honor and made his debut in the Vuelta a Espana. He character, "for better or for worse" and does not hide his ambitions.

Barbero has now started to do "dirty work of the preseason” by training in the cold of Burgos. "In Burgos you have to get used to tempratures of -4ºC," he tells Biciciclismo. Meanwhile, he is finalizing his studies in Industrial Engineering.

“I am still developing,” he told Biciciclismo at the first Caja Rural team gathering last week. “I grew up by riding for a pro continental team. For me personally, the year has gone well and it has for the team too. Hopefully next year will follow the same line. The best and the worst are easy to identify. The best was the victory in the Vuelta a Burgos: at home, becoming the leader. It was a dream. The worst was the injury I had earlier this year.

“Next year I want to make further progress. Every year I take a little step and I get more regular. This year I had more wins, but it may be that next year I will twist something and won’t win anything and then there will be pointed fingers at me. That’s a possibility. I would like to get five wins but I am aware that it will be very difficult. You go every day, and if you work, the victory will come.”

Barbero is fast in a sprint but is not a rider for the pure bunch sprints. Instead, he excels in uphill sprints like the one he won in Burgos.

“I always work on everything,” he said. “I believe that I will continue along these lines as there are days when I can now survive the medium mountains, like in Vuelta a Madrid for example where I was in the break, or in Amorebieta [Klasika Primavera, ed.]. It is clear that I will not be a sprinter for 80-rider sprints like Greipel due to my weight. I'm more focused on uphill finishes like the one in [the Circuito de] Getxo. It's where I won and I've always had the results, sprints up a slope of a certain average gradient. First I have to finish the preseason. It's the dirty work that you don’t see but which is very important. Then I will take the races day by day.”

For several years, Spanish cycling fans have been looking for riders to take over from Alberto Contador, Joaquim Rodriguez and Alejandro Valverde whose retirements draw closer. Barbero has been mentioned as one of the future stars.

“I don’t see myself like that because we already had Oscar Freire and he never got the deserved recognition,” he said. “We are talking about Purito, Valverde and Contador all day because they are grand tour riders and that’s what’s valued in Spain. However, I think it is much harder to do what Freire did, winning three World titles and three editions of Milan-Sanremo. In grand tours, you need much resilience and there is a very select group, but there are riders who retire without having ever done the Worlds. I am perhaps more of a classics riders like Freire although I don’t have his palmares, class or anything. And what he won is not even valued in Spain…

“Freire is a benchmark for me. When he raced, I didn’t admire him but now I see how hard it is to win the races he has won and I am valuing what this man has done.”

Unsurprisingly, Barbero points to a very similar rider when asked to select the rider that he currently admires.

“There are many riders,” he said. “Who would not envy Peter Sagan for his quality and versatility. He can climb, descend and sprint and I think he is a leader now. Beyond the work, there is talent.”

Barbero admits that it is hard to be a sprinter in Spain.

“Seeing how the landscape of Spanish cycling is, with only two teams, you may have to look for opportunities elsewhere,” he said. “I would have no problem doing and I would gladly move abroad if that was necessary.”

Barbero is not the only Spaniard to shine in uphill sprints. Juan Jose Lobato has had a breakthrough season and shares many of the same characteristics.

“We know each other,” Barbero said when asked about the Movistar sprinter. “Last year we were together at a camp in Sierra Nevada. Maybe we are rivals and if all goes well, we will be fighting for the same spots sooner or later.”

The pair had a small incident in the Circuito de Getxo when Lobato boxed Barbero in and so prevented him from trying to beat Nacer Bouhanni in the sprint.

“He apologized, but I did not win and this is what I will always remember,” Barbero said. “We knew it was about us three: Bouhanni, him and me. I tried to win and Lobato boxed me in at that time. He felt helpless and made ​​a move that was not fair. But, hey, you cannot scroll back the time.

“I have a temper. There are time when it is an advantage and times when it sets me back. It can be an asset and a weakness. My character is a double-edged sword. Often I cannot control my temper. There are situations like the one in Getxo where I cannot control it. Everybody is as he is, for better and for worse.”

This year Caja Rural have a better chance than ever to do the Giro d’Italia but the grand tour is not Barbero’s preferred Italian event.

“I'd rather do Milan-San Remo instead of the Giro,” he said. “I am young and it will be enough to do the Vuelta a Espana. The calendar can be too heavy. I would be more excited to get an invitation for San Remo. It's a race that I like and I think I can do well with my characteristics, but first I have to know it. I have to see it and learn more about the distance.”

Being one of the best sprinters, Barbero could get a protected role at the Worlds in Qatar.

“There’s still a long time before that event but every riders, especially with my characteristics, dreams of riding the Worlds. It would be very nice but I need to be selected and be in good condition at that time. Then the coach will make his choice. I will fight for it I am not obsessed.

This year Barbero made his grand tour debut in the Vuelta.

“I know a little more about myself,” he said. “I made ​​an effort of 21 days which I had never done. The body has memory and next year I will have the confidence of this experience.. There was no pressure and I've learned a little more. It is true that I was not able to go for a stage win. I did not have the physical ability. So it's another challenge to overcome next year. It is clear that you always want to give more, even when you win. If you win once, you want to win twice. In the Vuelta there is no doubt that I would have preferred to be in contention for at least one stage. But hey, that has to wait until next year.”

One of Barbero’s highlights was his second place behind Valverde at the Spanish road race championships.

“After taking third, I got a second medal this year,” he said. “I was second behind Valverde but the Spanish Championships are all about winning because you get the chance to wear a jersey for an entire season. It is okay to be consistent year after year and if the course suits me, I'm fine but Valverde was better. I could not do more than this. It is not the same to beaten by Valverde as to be beaten by a nobody. He is a man who has been third in the Tour and won classics. It is what gives my result value.”

For now, however, Barbero is suffering in the Burgos cold.

“I usually have to suffer in the cold here because of my studies and I normally stay in Burgos, but if gets really, I will go to Benidorm to train in the heat for five or six days and then go back. This year it also depends on exams. In the end, you adapt to what you have. In the south, you have to be ready for 40 degrees and in Burgos you have to get used to -4°C.”