After breakthrough win at UAE Tour, Einer Rubio sets sights on next goal: "My whole calendar is based on the Giro"

Einer Rubio will be the leader of Movistar Team in the next Giro d'Italia. He has earned the confidence of the team with effort and work in recent months and with a great result in the last World Tour stage race contested, the UAE Tour, where he finished 13th and won a high stage.

In an interview with Caracol Radio, the little climber talked about what he hopes to achieve in his big goal of the season, the Giro: "It's the big goal of my season. My whole calendar is based on the Giro, so this has been a preparation race. Then I'll have the Volta a Catalunya, the Tour of the Alps and the Giro d'Italia... I'll go as a leader, we'll try to do a good overall and hold on for the 21 days. We've seen that my physique is recovering quite well, so I'll take a team that will work well and we'll see what results we get".

He explains that Movistar Team will accompany Fernando Gaviria with riders to try to get stage wins in the Corsa Rosa: "We still don't know which team will be with Movistar. That will be decided a few days before the start of the Giro. The only thing I know is that Fernando (Gaviria) will ride with me, so we have to bring some climbers and a teammate so that he can ride with me."

There are a lot of time trials in the Giro, something that doesn't suit him and he's working on: "We've studied the race, I've seen stages and for me it's too much of a time trial, something that doesn't suit me, but I'm working on it. We have to do a lot of time trial work and we have to try to lose as little time as possible to then take advantage of my favorable terrain: the mountains".

Objective, top 10: "We are going to bet on a top-10 to not go so pressured, but obviously knowing how to take things ... It remains to thank Colombia for all their support, their confidence and know that we from Europe will do our best and give everything to give them a nice show and why not a joy".

Response to Rigoberto Urán after stating that Colombian cycling has no replacement: "Now cycling has changed a bit. Everyone is betting on very young talents that from U20s go on to professional teams winning races. For me, we need to mature to gain experience and then exploit our qualities."

"The same happens with several riders like [Santiago] Buitrago, who is also very young, and those of Esteban Chaves' foundation. Colombia needs more than everything to transform cycling, to place races of much circuit similar to the European ones because we have talent and strength, we must know how to apply them," the recent UAE Tour stage winner concluded.