Fernando Gaviria – one of the most successful riders of 2017 – will kick off his season in Argentina for the fourth straight year.
Argentina: the country of Jorge Luis Borges and Mario Kempes, tango and dulce de leche, Iguazu Falls and the Aconcagua Mountains, has also become for some years now the country which witnesses Quick-Step Floors' first wins of the season, with our team taking no less than 15 victories in half a decade, most recent ones coming at the previous edition of the Vuelta a San Juan, which in 2017 welcomed for the first time in history World Tour teams at the start.
Vuelta a San Juan returns next year for its 36th running (21-28 January) and the eight-day race puts on the table four stages for the sprinters, one that suits the attackers and a short individual time trial serving as an appetizer for the GC riders, before the big battle on the Alto del Colorado (20.7 km, 4.2%).
Fernando Gaviria – who burst onto the international scene in Argentina, nearly three years ago – will kick off 2018 at the Vuelta a San Juan, where he scored a brace of wins last season, a feat matched at that edition by his trusted lead-out man Maximiliano Richeze, who's set for another appearance in front of his countrymen in January.
An experienced rider, who always instills calm into the team and impresses with his tactical acumen, Iljo Keisse will also be part of the six-man Quick-Step Floors team, together with Rémi Cavagna and neo-pros Alvaro Hodeg and Jhonatan Narvaez, the champion of Ecuador.
"Vuelta a San Juan is a good race to start the season. We took five stage wins at the previous edition, so it's only normal to line up at the start motivated to start the year with a good result. Concerning our team, you can see it's a mix of young and experienced riders, who will have their chances to shine, especially in the bunch sprints, so we are looking forward to this race", said sports director Davide Bramati.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele
