Movistar took a risk when they signed Carlos Betancur and they maintained the Spanish style would suit the Colombian. They have been repaid, with the talented climber taking two wins already this season.

Having had almost six months to get to know him, team boss Eusebio Unzue says Betancur even reminds him of the team’s Spanish star Alejandro Valverde.

“Betancur has many things that remind me of Alejandro,” Unzue told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “His only trouble is being professional 365 days a year. We are working on the lack of willpower. I believe in him.”

Betancur has so far dealt well with pressure and kept the weight off, and has also adjusted more to life in Europe and as a domestique, whereas at AG2R he was a leader in his own right.