Carlos Betancur (Ag2r) put the Giro d'Italia on fire with aggressive racing but during the Vuelta a Espana he has mostly been seen at the back of the peloton. Having originally set his sights on another GC campaign in Spain, Betancur was forced to change his initial plans due to personal problems and now hopes to win a stage during the final two weeks of the race while building form for the world championships.

During the Giro d'Italia, Carlos Betancur became a household name for cycling fans all over the world. Aggressive racing and splendid climbing made him one of the main protagonists of the race and he ended up taking 5th on GC and winning the white jersey as best young rider. He made it into the top 3 on no less than 4 stages but the elusive stage victory escaped the punchy Colombian.

The Italian grand tour ended a hard spring campaign that had also included a 7th place in the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, 3rd in the Fleche Wallonne, 4th in the Liege-Bastogne-Liege and 13th in the Tour de Romandie and so Betancur escaped into anonymity by travelling back to his native Colombia, trying to recover for the second half of the season. Asked about his future plans, he made it clear that he would use the Vuelta a Burgos to prepare for the Vuelta a Espana and the world championships.

His name figured on the original start list for the race in Burgos but when the race kicked off, Betancur was nowhere to be seen. The surprise turned into confusion when his Ag2r team suddenly declared that the team's only GC captain was Domenico Pozzovivo while the Colombian would only target stage wins.

During the opening part of the race, it has been evident that Betancur is nowhere near the shape that allowed him to shine in Italy earlier this year. Usually one of the first to get dropped, he finds himself in 183rd on GC on the day's first rest day.

His Ag2r team confirms to CyclingQuotes that the team originally intended to line up two joint leaders and that Pozzovivo and Betancur would share the responsibilities as they had done in the Giro. However, personal problems forced him to cancel his participation in Burgos and that left him short of physical condition. A few weeks before the start, the Ag2r team management decided to change its original plan, giving full priority to Pozzovivo and allowing Betancur to race the grand tour with a focus on stage wins and preparation for the world championships. Instead, the Colombian plans to focus on the battle for the rainbow jersey and some of the Italian autumn classics.

Until now, Betancur hasn't given any signs that he will be able to fulfil his stage win ambitions. It has all been about getting safely through the first week to gradually improve his condition. The team confirms to CyclingQuotes that his physical condition has improved during the race and so there is still hope that his fascinating climbing skills will be put on show when the race hits hit preferred terrain in the Pyrenees and the Asturian mountains.