Louis Meintjes was part of the first African team to race a Grand Tour at the 2014 Vuelta, and the MTN-Qhubeka man is once again at the event after riding 17 stages of the Tour de France. He says his French experience has helped him and he is stronger than he was 12 months ago.

"I’m definitely a step higher than last year at the Vuelta," Meintjes tells Cyclingnews.

After finishing fifth from the break on the fearsome Camperona climb last year, the South African says he is taking the race day by day this year, but will go all in for a stage win once he has picked a set stage.

"I’m taking it on the day by day, and we’ll have to see what’s happening in the race. It’s a lot about the race dynamics what the other favourites do. There’s nothing specific I’m targeting, but with so many climbs and summit finishes I’m definitely going to try and pick one stage.”

"It’s a very top field here, and always hard to make your own mark when that’s the case. But hopefully," Meintjes said with a grin, "they’ll be a little less motivated than at the Tour de France and have a little bit of fatigue and hopefully I can have some good luck."

He says the Vuelta is highly likely to be his last race in a very successful season which has seen him ride two Grand Tours and win the Coppi e Bartali stage race.

"After the Vuelta I’ll be on 87 race days, and last year I did 70-something. We’ll have to see what happens and maybe I’ll do one or two more [races], but most likely it’ll be the end of the season."