Carlos Betancur (Ag2r) suffered through his first race of the season, the Tour de San Luis, finishing a low 111th in the mountainous Argentinean race. The Colombian admits that he is currently 6kg overweight but says that he will easily get back to his racing weight when he returns to Europe to prepare his main goals: the Ardennes classics and the Tour de France.

While Nairo Quintana (Movistar) took a dominant win in last week's Tour de San Luis, it was the completely opposite story for another of the Colombians who set the world on fire in 2013. Carlos Betancur finished all three mountain stages far behind the best and ended the race in 111th, more than 45 minutes behind Quintana.

The poor result comes as little surprise, given that Betancur also delivered a similar performance in Argentina one year ago. He went on to have his most successful season to date, finishing 3rd in the Fleche Wallonne, 4th in the Liege-Bastogne-Liege and 5th in the Giro d'Italia as well as winning the white jersey in the latter race.

Photos taken at the Argentinean race clearly show that Betancur is not as fit as he was when he stormed up the climbs in the Italian Dolomites and he admits that he was hindered by a few extra kilos.

“I normally suffer in excessive heat, and I did even more so here because I’m carrying a few too many kilos," he told Biciciclismo. "It’s been a bit difficult for me but the important thing was to clock up the kilometres.”

While his teammate Domenico Pozzovivo mixed it up with the best, ultimately ending in 10th, Betancur only showed his face once: on the final day when he was part of the early breakaway.

“The last few days, I felt better," he said. "I’m going home with some race sharpness now, and training will be easier. I found it tough, especially on the climbs, but my condition will improve gradually.”

Biciciclismo reports that Betancur is currently six kilograms in excess of his racing weight of 56kg and he admits that it is difficult to keep his weight down when he is in Colombia. He faced similar difficulties at the end of the last year when he returned to Europe from his home country for the Vuelta a Espana, visibly out of condition.

However, he says that he will easily get back in shape when he arrives in Europe.

" When I’m off the bike, I like to enjoy life, and in Colombia we eat very well and I picked up a bit of weight," he said. "But when I get to Europe, I’m very attentive and I focus 100 percent on the bike to do things well. I will start to train with my coach, Michele Bartoli, and do some very demanding training so I’m ready for the classics and also for Romandie.

“I go out training quite late, at half ten or eleven, after a breakfast of cereal and skimmed milk," he added. "When I get back at four or five in the afternoon, I have a fruit salad with yoghurt. Then in the evening, I have meat and a salad. That’s what I’m used to and it helps me lower the weight easily.”

Like last year, Betancur's first objectives are the Ardennes classics. Last year he was the first to attack both on the Mur de Huy in the Fleche Wallonne and on the Cote de Saint-Nicholas in the Liege-Bastogne-Liege.. Those attacks were enough to secure top 4 places in both races.

“After last year, I have great motivation to prepare better and do them well,” he said. “I was the rider who went on the attack at Flèche and Liège, and I want to be in good condition to do that [again].”

This year Betancur will leave it to Pozzovivo to defend Ag2r in the Giro and will instead line up in the Tour de France as part of a three-pronged attack that also includes Jean-Christophe Peraud and Romain Bardet. He has earlier stated that his dream is to win the white jersey in the French race.

“I’ll be back in Europe a month before the Tour, and I’ll take the chance to look at some of the climbs from the Tour and race either Switzerland or the Dauphiné,” he said.

Betancur's first race in Europe will be the Tour Mediteraneen which starts on February 13.