The Escarabajos want to prove themselves in Vuelta a Andalucia-Ruta del Sol and show they deserve a wild card for the Vuelta a España

After racing the Étoile de Bessèges and the Gran Premio Costa degli Etruschi last week, Team Colombia-Coldeportesis ready for one of Spain’s biggest stage races, the Vuelta a Andalucia-Ruta del Sol. Here, the team’s cyclists will ride against the likes of Alberto Contador, Chris Froome, Wilco Kelderman and Jurgen van den Broeck, who will kick-off their 2015 campaign on February 18.

Team Colombia-Coldeportes will go to Spain next week with a very strong line-up, including Alex Cano – making his pro European debut, after establishing as a major stage race presence in Colombia for years – Fabio Duarte, and Rodolfo Torres, the 27-year-old who finished 2nd at the Tour de San Luis, as well as winning the mountain classification along the way.

The Andalusian race will start with two half-stages, but the team guided by Sports Director Oscar Pellicioli will have its targets later in the week, when the peloton will go up on the Alto de Hazallanas (stage 3) and Alto de Allanadas (stage 4), both climbs coming at the end of the day. Team Colombia-Coldeportes – which in Spain will also make its debut this season in World Tour’s Volta a Catalunya in March – will be keen to have its riders at the front and amongst the protagonists in the two mountain stages, knowing that a strong performance in the Ruta del Sol could also work in their favor in the Vuelta a España wild card bid.

“It is still early season, but we head to Andalusia looking to show out and follow up to our strong performance at the Tour de San Luis” – general manager Claudio Corti explained. “The level will be very high, and we picked a strong line-up to rise up to the challenge. The fact that we race in Spain and we are in the run for the Vuelta a España only increases our motivation.”

Line-up:

Alex Cano, Edward Diaz, Fabio Duarte, Carlos Julian Quintero, Miguel Angel Rubiano, Rodolfo Torres, Juan Pablo Valencia.