Nairo Quintana is facing a big year where he is expected to confirm his potential as a grand tour winner and has now outlined the early part of his race schedule. The Colombian will kick off his season on his own continent at the Tour de San Luis and will do his first European races at the Challenge Mallorca, the Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya.

2013 was a magic year for Nairo Quintana who revealed that his has the potential to become one of the greatest grand tour riders in the future when he finished 2nd overall and won a big mountain stage and the mountains and white jerseys at the Tour de France. Expectation for him to repeat those feats are great and the Colombian has now started the planning of the race schedule that will allow him to do so.

Quintana has travelled back to Colombia after his participation in the Movistar training camp where he discussed the coming season with the team management. While it still hasn't been decided whether he will do the Giro d'Italia or the Tour de France - his manager Eusebio Unzue is considering the Italian grand tour to be the best option - he has planned the first part of his season.

Quintana will stay in South America in January where he will start his season earlier than in 2013 at the Tour de San Luis. In the Argentinean race, he will get the chance to gauge his condition against riders like Vincenzo Nibali and Joaquim Rodriguez on a mountainous course.

The birth of his daughter is expected in late January or early February and so he will stay in Colombia until he has become a father for the first time. This means that he is likely to miss the Movistar team presentation on January 31.

If the birth permits it, he will be at the start line in some of the one-day races in the Challenge Mallorca which will be his only race on European soil before his first WorldTour outing in the Paris-Nice. He had mixed emotions at this year's edition of the Race to the Sun as he lost time on tricky descent but ended the race well by finishing 3rd in the Col d'Eze time trial. As the course still hasn't been unveiled, he may do the Tirreno-Adriatico instead if the layout of the Italian race is more suited to his characteristics.

Next up will be the Volta a Catalunya which was the scene of his first 2013 season. He battled for spot on the final podium but was relegated to 4th by Michele Scarponi's gutsy move on the final stage in Barcelona.

The rest of his schedule will depend on his grand tour plans. He may return to the Vuelta al Pais Vasco to defend his title and could also do the Tour de Romandie. Whether he will return to the Ardennes classics hasn't been decided.