This year Alexander Kristoff confirmed his potential with victories in Milan-Sanremo and two stages in the Tour de France, two of his big goals for 2014. That step has now placed him among the elite riders in the peloton. The Norwegian Katusha rider again takes aim at the spring classics - "the races from Sanremo to Roubaix are my top priorities" - the Tour de France and the Worlds in Richmond.

Some years ago Alexander Kristoff found himself in a difficult situation when BMC decided not to renew his contract. He managed to save his career by signing a contract with Katusha and since then he has gradually approached the world elite.

This year he definitively made himself known as one of the best sprinters and strongest classics riders when he won Milan-Sanremo, two stages of the Tour de France and several other races.

However, he refuses the suggestion that he has taken a major step forward in 2014

"No, I think I have grown at the same rate as in other years," he telss Biciciclismo at the Katusha training camp in Calp "Since I was young, I have gradually progressed every year. Yes, it may seem that I have taken a massive step because I went from finishing in the top 10 fifteen times to winning 14 races. I was training well but did not do anything very differently so I think it was a small step."

The results have created big expectations for Kristoff who may find it hard to live up to his great achievements.

"I hope not," he says. "I hope to get good results again. It is never easy to repeat and to defend in Sanremo and win two stages of the Tour is clearly difficult. I will give it everything and I hope to win a monument again. This is what I want and what I will work to ahieve. At least I will try but I know that it will be difficult. There aren't many riders who can win these races every year."

Kristoff has already defined his schedule for the first part of the season.

"[My goals] are to try to win a monument and then the Tour de France and the Worlds," he says. "They are great challenges. My schedule is: Qatar, Oman, Omloop, Kuurne, Paris-Nice, Sanremo, Harelbeke, Wevelgem, De Panne, Flanders and Roubaix in the first part of the season. Later the Tour de France will be the main objective of the summer and the World Championships will be the goal towards the end of the season.

"Mainly, the goals are the classics and that is what I am focused on now. I have Flanders and Roubaix on my mind. And I like the return to the old finish in Sanremo. I hope to be there to defend my title. My main priority is the time from Sanremo to Roubaix. I want to be in good condition for those weeks. I don't care about the results in Qatar and Oman. The main thing is to do some good team work there. Of course a victory will be welcome because they are good for the confidence. This year I did nothing but was lucky to win a stage in Oman."

Kristoff's season highlight was the win in Milan-Sanremo.

"I knew it was possible, but also knew it was a complicated course," he says. "I was not sure that I would survive the climbs. And then there is the factor ot luck. Often you are there but don't manage to win. Sometimes I have sprinted for the win without succeeding. That day Cavendish was there and I thought it would be difficult to win. But I got it and turned a dream into reality. This year I hope it is possible to fight for the win again if I do things right."

The win has slightly changed his approach.

"I did not expect it," he says. "It is something that only a few riders have achieved but I knew it was possible if I was there in the end. Now I know I can win big races like the Tour stages and that I can compete against the best in the world. Now I am one of the best. It is an important change of mentality.

"I will definitely have more pressure but that was also the case last year, at least in the team. Perhaps it was more from the fans and the rivals. Obviosuly, I am now a favourite. However, Katusha has not changed anything."

Next year the rules for the points competition in the Tour de France have changed as there will now be more points to the winners of the flat sprint stages. Due to his versatility, Kristoff could be a contender.

"There are some new rules," he says. "We will see how it turns out. Pure sprinters like Kittel, Greipel and Cavendish can be close to the green jersey. At the start, my goal will be to win the points competition and then we will see where I end up in the race."

Kristoff was one of the a favourites for the World Championships in Ponferrada and managed to win the sprint of the main group. Unfortunately, a few riders had escaped on the final climb, meaning that he missed out on the rainbow jersey.

"Yes but the truth is that I was more disappointed in the moment," he says when asked about his disappointment. "I did not know who had escaped and that Kwiatkowski was ahead. I was angrier at that moment because I didn't miss much to join the front group. But when I watched the race, it was a relief that Kwiatkowski was there. I felt better than expected after so many kilometres and so much climbing. I think the next Worlds are better for me but it's always a strange race. For example, Norway only had three riders in Ponferrada so you need luck too.

This year Thor Hushovd retired but Norwegian cycling is a in good position. At the U23 Worlds, the country had no less than 3 riders in the top 5, including winner Sven Erik Bystrøm.

"We have many young riders," he says. "Not only Bystrøm has joined the WorldTour with Katusha. Skjerping has joined Cannondale-Garmin and Enger will be with IAM. Three new professionals is a big step and will be good for the coming years. Hushovd has been very important for the development of cycling in Norway. I think he could still have had really good years but he was tired from his health problems. His career has been fantastic. Moreover, there is growing calendar and I like to ride and win in my home country. It is something that motivates me."