Rigoberto Uran, in great condition, will try this Tuesday to do a very good individual time trial, hoping to save time on his rival Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team). Before this 6th stage, he is at third place overall, 48 seconds behind his compatriot.

“I would be happy to finish on the podium in a race of this caliber. The time trial is only 10km, it’s not one of 50km,” Urán told VeloNews. “I went the maximum [up Terminillo], and considering how bad the conditions were, we have to be satisfied. The podium is realistic.”

The Colombian rider explained that he trained a lot of time in this discipline this winter. “I’ve worked a lot in this specialty, and I will continue, especially with the long time trial at the Giro this year. I’ve started the past two or three years to really focus on it, and the bet is starting to pay off. I had good sensations in the prologue, so I am very motivated.”

Uran, who will wear today the national champion jersey, is focused on the Giro di Italia, his main goal. He said that the 59.2km time trial in the Giro’s stage 14 is a chance for him: “I can never be overconfident, but it’s a good time trial for me. It’s so long that you can win a lot of time, and you can lose a lot of time. I went to check out the route, and the truth is I really like it. So from here to then, I will really work hard to be strong on that very important day.”

“I’ve always liked the time trial, but before, I was on teams where I was working for the leader, and when you’re in a situation like that, the time trials were almost like a rest day,” Urán said. “Now things are different. Here at Etixx, I am fighting for the GC, so I am taking them on very differently than in the past.”