Having signed a contract with IAM, Jarlinson Pantano is ready for a new adventure. Speaking to reporters on the track in Cali, the Colombian detailed how he got his contract with Swiss team.

At the presentation of the venue for the 2015 Track World Cup in Cali, Jarlinson Pantano talked to the media on the initiative of the Liga de Ciclismo del Valle where he started his development.

The 26-year-old Colombian who will travel to Europe on December 7 to meet his new teammates at IAM Cycling, said that while he has signed a one-year contract, there is a chance that he will extend his agreement in May when he is back in Europe.

"It's a Swiss team that has spent three years at the professional continental level and is now a candidate for the ProTour. It is a reward for my results this year which for me have been very consistent. I missed a win but I stood out in races like the Giro d'Italia. After that race, I contacted my manager Matias Galli and he told me he had the chance to put me in contact with the team. I caught their attention and after the Vuelta a Colombia, I got the contract offer," he explained. "The team owner told me that if I'm good, I'll have my chance. This motivates me because I will have the opportunity to excel."

About the interest from IAM Cycling, Pantano said that "they found out long before they contacted me. All European teams want to have a Colombian because they know we are serious and the topography and climate help us a lot. Today we are very respected in the peloton."

For Pantano, the goal now is to finish in the top 10 in the next Giro d'Italia after he finished third on stages in both 2013 and 2014. "I have raced the Giro and I know how far I am able to get," he says.

Pantana started to play football as a chailed but he inherited the love for cycling from his father who didn't train a lot. His first bike was of the Raul Mesa brand and he decided to give give the sport a go after he finished high school at the Colegio Parroquial San Pedro Claver. Having done several edition of the Vuelta del Porvenir, he went to the high Performance Ctre in Switzerland where he got a unique experience at the age of 17.

"I learned a lot and it allowed other teams to see me. Look where I am going no."

The main motivation for Pantano is his family, his young son and his country. Jokingly, he says that "the day when my son will tell me that he likes cycling, I will take him up the La Linea climb and see if he still likes it."

He also made it clear that he wants to participate in the Valle en los Juegos Nacionales 2015 so this year he will attend the National Road and Track Championships  and the Copa Colombia.

"It's something that motivates me. Everybody wants to win in his own country. We have a strong team and we only need to find out what we want. We are frustrated that Antioquia and Bogotá beat us. We need to work but we will not say we're going to win because it is unpredictable. We will surely make a good performance. "