After success in Tirreno-Adriatico, Nairo Quintana is looking to add a second Tour of the Basque Country title to his palmares, but he faces competition from riders like Pinot, Majka, Kwiatkowski, van Garderen and Talansky.

“I have good memories (of 2013),” Quintana said of the Tour of the Basque Country. “The truth is that I like and know this race and many of my teammates know this race well too. That gives you peace of mind. With the team we have we should have no problem, and the course suits my form. Of course, we’ll have to consider the rivals too.”

In between Trreno and Basque Country, Quintana has ridden the cobbles in Dwars door Vlaanderen and E3 Harelbeke. He has also reconned the tough climb used in stage three of the upcoming Spanish stage race.

He has highlighted World Champion as his biggest rival for GC victory in 2015, as the Pole seeks top form ahead of the Ardennes Classics and he finished second overall here last year.

“He’s the world champion and so that says it all. He’s very strong and a complete rider. He’s good against the clock and the climbs are not very long, so the race route suits him. We will have to try to find a strategy to beat him.”

After Basque Country, Quintana follows the likes of Kwiatkowski and teammate Alejandro Valverde to the Ardennes to ride Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege ahead of the Tour of Romandie.