At a packed press conference, the main riders of the Tour de San Luis spoke about their expectations for the seven-day race which starts on Saturday.

Nairo Quintana is the star rider of the race as he is popular among the local fans and a former winner of the race. "The preparation was good and like in recent years has been focused on the Tour de France, my season goal. This winter I have been training in the gym, in the pool and I did many kilometers of walking in the mountains. I did alternative work for a month and then returned to the bike, first the mountain bike and then on the road. My preparation was similar to previous years. It works so I do not think about changing it. Here in Argentina the competition will be very high. For local riders, this is the race of the year. After San Luis you will see me in the Vuelta Catalunya, the Tour of the Basque Country, the Ardennes and the Tour de Romandie. Then I will go home to train and return to competition at the Route du Sud and then it is finally time for the Tour of France and my third assault on the yellow jersey. We hope it will be the winning one. I feel more mature and prepared to get there. I will give my best to realize my dream. I will not go to Rio to check the course. I will try to go there just a few days before the Olympic race if I come out of the Tour with good legs. My main mission is to be successful in La  Grande Boucle. "

It will be the fifth appearance at the Tour de San Luis for Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), the winner in Argentina in 2010. "I was in Rio to try the Olympic course. It will be a very difficult race, but now we think of this race. I'm happy to come back to Argentina after a year of absence. I have good confidence in this race. Usually, the year went well or really well when I took part in this race. I had a winter with good weather during which I worked well with the team. I do not know how my condition is right now. Here I will really understand how the legs respond. As I am aiming for the Giro, the schedule allows me to be here to find a good rhythm and to go back to Europe with good condition. After this race, I’ll do Oman, Tirreno-Adriatico and perhaps Trentino to finalize the preparation for the Giro. I'll have to test myself against rivals such as Landa, my former teammate, Valverde in his first participation, Majka and many other top riders. It will be an interesting challenge for everybody to follow.”

Among the debutants in the most important stage race in South America is Pole Rafal Majka (Tinkoff), who has the Giro d’Italia as his major goal this year. "The winter training has gone very well. This is my first time in Argentina and I am happy to start my 2016 racing here. My most important goals are still far away from here as there are many months until the Giro but I am sure we will be competitive already. We have a team for the race with the world champion and a rider very good for the time trial like Bodnar. As a group we can do very well. For me these days of competition will be an important test to assess my condition. After this race , I will be at the start of the Vuelta Andalucia, Catalonia, Romandie and the Giro d’Italia. I will prepare the best with hard altitude training camps in February and April and do a good schedule that I have decided with the team.”

Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) is back in America, ready to show off his beautiful rainbow jersey. "It's my third time in Argentina. I have had many places of honour here but I have never won. Maybe this year will be different even though we are still in January and it is not the time for me to go fast. Am I waiting for my first win in the rainbow jersey? Sure, but as I said my goals are later in the season. I still have to wait a bit before I get to the classics. After those races, I will do the Tour of California, the Tour de Suisse, the Tour de France and then we will see as it is not right to make too many plans. After San Luis I will go to see the route of the Olympic Games even though I've heard it's very hard. Before that race, we have the first European Championships in Monaco which could be an important target for me. The Worlds seems flat but we will see at the end of the year.”

Elia Viviani, the sprinter of Team Sky who will wear the blue jersey of Italy in this race, will search for stages. "My focus for 2016 is the Olympic Games on the track. I am not hiding my ambitions in the Omnium, but I also have important objectives on the road: first in the Giro. Wearing the blue jersey is always exciting. I'm glad good news arrived from Hong Kong about our girls who qualified for Rio. For me it is important to be here because this race is a week more in the saddle before the Dubai Tour, the track Worlds and the road races. Italy have a young team at the Tour de San Luis, with half of it being U23 riders and it will be a valuable opportunity for the young riders."

Among the sprinters to watch is young Colombian Fernando Gaviria (Etixx Quick Step) who became known to the world in this race a year ago. "I have also targeted Rio and dream big for the track but I have worked more than in the past to be fast on the road too. I thank the team for bringing me to this race that I really like. This is what allowed me to beat Cavendish, my idol. Last year I had a super season. This year I trained to do better. After the ideal reception I received from Etixx, I am better and want to win for myself and for the team.”

Daniel Diaz is the defending champion and rides at home albeit with a different jersey than a year ago as he has joined the French Delko Marseille Provence KTM. "I'm ready to start a new year. I feel good and I have a great desire and motivation. My condition is similar to that of a year ago. I will have to confront riders that are already competitive as the Tour de San Luis is the race of the year for the local riders, and also the great champions sitting beside me here. I'm ready for the challenge. A crash caused me to lose a few days of preparation, but I'm fine and I'm confident.”