Miguel Angel Lopez, who finished 4th at the Tour de San Luis last month, has told Velonews about his debut with Astana Pro Team. He signed with the Kazakh team after his win at the Tour de l'Avenir.

"I was a bit nervous at the beginning, in 2015, because I was going somewhere I didnít know anyone, where they spoke another language. The majority are Italians, Russians, Kazakhs. Fortunately there were one or two Spaniards so that I had someone there to pass the time with, so that I wasnít alone and bored and isolated all the time," he explained. "In a little time, it became clear that itís a great team. It wasnít as hard as I had thought [to fit in], with no one speaking Spanish. They did speak a bit. So then I made it through a bit more calmly. Itís a great team, and I feel very at home there.

"Being in a team where there are two or three fierce leaders that have won the Tour, the Vuelta, the Giro, it lets you learn some things. In my case, as young as I am, still just beginning my career as a cyclist, being alongside those three big riders taught me things all the time that I can apply to my athletic career." 

During his first year in the pro peloton, he finished in the top 10 in Tour de Suisse and took a stage win at the Vuelta a Burgos. "In the races that they took me to, they gave me a bit of freedom, without any responsibilities of having to do a job. They left me a bit loose, to do what I was able to do."

Lopez' goal is to improve his physical condition and 'grow personally'. "This year, the objective is continue growing in my athletic career. Getting stronger little by little, growing with the team, picking up more experience."