On Tuesday, the Portuguese race Volta ao Algarve starts with the Russian team Tinkoff-Saxo. Tour captain Alberto Contador will be the leader of the team, while Dane Chris Anker Sørensen will be his lieutenant. The Dane is looking forward to start his 8th season with the team and General Manager Bjarne Riis.

The important stages of the race will be stage 2, 3 and 4. Stage 2 and 3 are stages with uphill summits and stage 4 is a 13 km TT. The powerful Sørensen will be Contador’s helper and he is looking forward to test his winter training. He says he mostly has been riding on his own during the off-season.

“I’ve been riding mostly on my own this winter even though there are a lot of other riders and teammates in the neighborhood in Lucca. With two small kids, I get up early and I’m ready to ride before the other guys get up. That also makes me a little bit anxious whether I’ve been training hard enough but I’ve been doing a lot of interval training and we’ll see in Algarve if it’s been adequate. I’m primarily in the race to support Alberto (Contador). For once I haven’t been stressed out about getting in shape early because my goals are in the late spring", Sørensen says.

Asked about the goals for the 2014 season, he says he will be a support rider. He will ride the Paris-Nice, the Ardennes Classics and the Giro d’Italia. In the Giro, he will be helping the young Polish rider Rafal Majka, who finished 7th last year. But Sørensen has also taken a look at a stage near his hometown Lucca.

“Well, besides Algarve, I’ll be doing Paris-Nice in a supporting role and I’m targeting peak shape in late April for the Ardennes Classics and May for the Giro d’Italia. These are my main targets this spring. Of course, I’ll also be helping Rafal (Majka) for the GC but I have my mind set on a specific Giro mountain stage near my hometown of Lucca but I guess there a more opportunities for me during the Giro."   

When he was asked about his appearance in the Tour de France this summer, he wasn’t at all sure about whether or not we will be seeing him in the French race. He says the team have a strong line-up for the race, which won’t make it easy to find a way to the race.

“With peak shape in April and May, it’s going to be difficult to be at my absolute best in July as well so I’m not expecting a spot in the Tour line-up. We have a very strong team this year and it doesn’t make it easier to get in the mix.”

Chris Anker Sørensen thinks the team has a good chance at this year’s Tour. He thinks Froome can’t be as good as last year, and that Alberto Contador, if he is stronger this year, will have a fair chance.

“They are pretty good. As I said before, the team is very strong and the team was very strong last year and perhaps even better than Sky but Froome was just invincible at the time. If Alberto is stronger this year, only time can tell.”

Chris Anker Sørensen was also asked about the toughest race, he has ever ridden. His answer was the 2008 Giro d’Italia. He thought about abandoning the race, but the company of his team-mates made him stay into the race.

“That would be the Giro in 2008. It was raining and it was freezing throughout the entire three weeks of racing and the stages were each up to 250 kilometers. If it hadn’t been for the fantastic company of my teammates, I think I would have abandoned the race, which clearly underlines the importance of team spirit. Besides, some riders in the pack that year were riding amazingly fast and as a new pro, it felt quite intimidating.”

There will be no racing on home soil in 2014. He says it has been a long time ago since he rode Tour of Denmark, but it doesn’t seems to be this year, he will make his return.

“Well, not according to plan. It’s been a while since I did the Tour of Denmark and I’d love to do it again but I think it collides with the team’s plans to send me to Tour of Poland in the same period of time", Sørensen concludes.

Team Tinkoff-Saxo line-up for Volta ao Algarve:

Alberto Contador, Bruno Pires, Chris Anker Sørensen, Jesus Hernandez, Matteo Tosatto, Nicki Sørensen, Rafal Majka and Sergio Paulinho.