Some of the riders who used to start the season in Argentina with Tour de San Luis have again decided to begin the year in the South American country at the Tour de San Juan.
For the first time, the Argentinean race will have four teams that are part of the WorldTour. UAE Abu Dhabi, Quick-Step, Bahrain-Merida and Trek-Segafredo already have their riders in the South American country to fight for one of the first victories of the season.
Tom Boonen, Bauke Mollema, Vincenzo Nibali, Elia Viviani, Rui Costa and Fernando Gaviria have already flown to the country and traveled to the province of San Juan.
“I like the region and the great landscapes of this country. We came here last week and got used to the heat, and now all that remains to be seen is how the race will unfold. Fernando’s our sprinter in San Juan, but I think there will be a couple of chances for me too. I know everybody’s talking about this being the first race of my last season, but I feel the same I’ve felt in all the past seasons and I want to enjoy every moment”, said Tom Boonen at the press conference on Saturday.
“It’s not a secret that I like to ride in Argentina. This is the country that launched me in pro cycling and gave me the chance to join Quick-Step Floors. I trained for this race at home and I hope to get some nice results here. The team’s goal is to win a stage and we’ll try our best to score a victory.”, said Fernando Gaviria.
“I always come back very willingly, without forgetting that South America has often brought me luck in the rest of the season,” said Vincenzo Nibali. “The climate here is ideal, while training in Italy with just a few degrees above zero is almost impossible.”
