Although for the World Tour strongest teams main goals of an upcoming season are still rather remote as it kicks-off early in January, some of them are hoping to excel in the opening races and start the 2014 year with a bang instead of treating these events just as the next stage of their preparation period.

Such situation occurs regarding to Katusha, since their head sports director Jose Azevedo made it clear, that he expects his squad to provide the team with some significant results and make the red uniform visible within the peloton from the very beginning of the season.

“We want to make a very good start of the season in the WorldTour race in Australia as well as in Argentina,” he said, referring to the Santos Tour Down Under and Tour de San Luis.

“These are high-level competition races, so it means that results are important. It is our responsibility to show our colours. We cannot consider races as training. Of course some riders have goals later in the season, but be assured, in our first races Katusha is ambitious.”

The Russian team will kick-off 2014 season at the Tour the San Luis, with a truly formidable roster travelling to Argentina. The Katusha squad for the 2.1 ranked race will consist of the world number one rider according to UCI individual rankings Joaquim Rodriguez, as well as his loyal and capable lieutenant Daniel Moreno, both supported by Alberto Losada, Angel Vicioso, Giampaolo Caruso and Luca Paolini.

The team’s selection for the Santos Tour Down Under was revealed yesterday. Giro d’Italia stage winner Maxim Belkov and Tour of Luxembourg stage victor Aleksandr Porsev are on the squad, as are Eduard Vorganov, Mikhail Ignatyev, Marco Haller, Pavel Kochetkov and Egor Silin.

They will first race in the People’s Choice Classic on January 19th, then the Santos Tour Down Under itself starts on January 21st.