While most of the cycling world is getting ready for the Tour, some look even further ahead. One of them is Movistar’s Javi Moreno, who is already preparing for this year’s Vuelta a España, where he’s likely to ride in support of Alejandro Valverde.

“After a month without competition, where I could enjoy a short vacation, I return to racing this week at the Route du Sud. It will be the first competition on the way to the Vuelta, which is my goal for the second part of the year,” says the lanky rider from Jaen.

Moreno had a good early season, starting with a second place in the Tour Down Under GC: “I came to Australia in form and eager to race. And although I did not win, the second place made up for winter training and the hard work the whole team did to support me.” In May, the Andalusian won two races in the space of one week, the Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid (now a one-day race) and the mountain stage in the Vuelta a Asturias, where he also reached the overall podium.

“After the Route du Sud I’ll do the Spanish championships in Bembibre. In July I will have a three-week training camp in the Sierra Nevada. The Tour of Poland will be my last race before the Vuelta, where I hope to be in top form.”