As one of the few riders who has won stages in all three Grand Tours, Team Sky’s Simon Gerrans is psyched about the thoughts of chasing more success in the Vuelta a España.
The 30 year old has had a frustrating summer due to a bad crash during the Tour de France, which cost him the chance of nabbing another stage in that event. He pulled out before the start of the ninth leg of the race, but has come back well and was eighth on a stage of the recent Tour du Limousin.
The Australian believes he still has a way to go, but also feels confident that can ride into form in a short period of time. “I'm just a little bit shy of being exactly where I need to be in order to be competitive right at the start of the Vuelta,” he wrote on his Team Sky blog, “but I've got high hopes that after a few days of racing I'll be really starting to get there.
“There are a few stages which I reckon will suit me well and if I can find my legs in those opening days I'll be looking to really capitalise with some good form. The Vuelta is a fantastic race. It's so relaxed and the Spanish fans love their cycling so it's nice to be part of that.”
Gerrans said that Limousin was good, in that it was an intense race which provided the chance to work hard. After that, he lined out in the GP Ouest France in Plouay, a race of special significance as he triumphed there twelve months earlier.
“I had the No 1 on my back which was a bit of a new experience, returning as the defending champion,” he wrote. “And that was good - it's a race I really enjoy, being in a cycling-mad part of France in Brittany.”
Gerrans knew that he didn’t have enough training to recapture the title, and so opted to try to help out the Briton Russell Downing. However the two of them got caught behind a crash on the last lap and lost out as a result.
He has been at the race start since Tuesday and will finally get things underway on Saturday. He and the other riders in the peloton will face a very unusual start, with the opening team time trial being run off very late in the evening.
The first riders will head out of the start house at just after 10pm, while the last will begin their efforts an hour and a half later. “It should be interesting as it's a late, late start,” he said. “We go out at about a quarter-to-eleven under the lights, but there'll be a great crowd in Seville on Saturday night and a good atmosphere.”
After the Vuelta, Gerrans will have a chance to aim for gold on home soil. He has his fingers crossed that he’ll pick up some strong form during the three week event, then use it to good effect back home. Taking a Vuelta stage would be big, but grabbing the rainbow jersey would be huge.
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Team Sky for Vuelta a España:
Thomas Löfkvist, Gerrans, Juan Antonio Flecha, Kjell Carlström. John-Lee Augustyn, Lars-Petter Nordhaug ,Peter Kennaugh, Ben Swift and Ian Stannard.