Tejay van Garderen may have taken a superb fifth place at the Tour de France in 2014, but the American on the BMC Racing team points to his stage win in the Volta a Catalunya atop Vallter 2000 as the defining moment of his season in a recent interview with VeloNews.

“I think a lot of guys saw me as a good climber who can ride tempo, but to win like that, that was important,” van Garderen said. “Okay, it wasn’t the Tour de France, and maybe everyone wasn’t on their best form, but to win like that, on a real summit finale, that was a big confidence boost, to show that I could climb like that against those guys.”

This led to him going on to finish a joint-best ever fifth in the Tour before he successfully defended his USA Pro Challenge title. He says he owes his team for the Pro Challenge win, and thanked them for helping him win a stage in front if his own home crowds in Colorado.

“Our team rode tactically perfect that day,” van Garderen said. “We kept our wits about us, we never panicked, even when we were bombarded by Garmin and Saxo. Then, to cap it off in the end like that … it’s rare that I cross the line first on a stage. I’m more of a time trialist, or GC specialist — to put my hands up in the air like that, in front of a home crowd, is really special.”

He was fifth in the 2012 Tour de France, and could have been higher had he not had to spend the first half of the race as Cadel Evans luxury domestique. Yet he says 2014 was his best ever Tour ride.

“That was my best Tour this year, easily,” van Garderen said. “You have a lot of ‘what ifs.’ I got sick, I crashed a few times, I bonked that one day, and that really cost me a lot of time. There are ‘what ifs’ on the other side, with Contador and Froome crashing out; that opened up some doors for me. At one point, I thought I was going to get on the podium, but that didn’t happen. It looked like a possibility. I just take it for what it is. I try to learn from the mistakes and move on, and focus on next year, and keep chipping away. One day I do believe I will be on the podium in the Tour.”

When asked what made his 2014 so good, he points to having another season in the sdalle and more experience to call on in tough situations.

“Experience, more miles in the legs, being a bit older, and wiser, knowing when to stay calm, and when to fight, knowing how to train,” van Garderen said. “We made a move to Nice, France, and the training there is spectacular. I have a good group of guys there to train with. There were a few new things, but I also made a point to stick to the basics. I’ll just keep plugging away, year by year.”