Esteban Chaves says that he feels like a new rider following his debut season with Orica-GreenEdge. The Colombian returned to racing last year after a horrific crash at the Trofeo Laigueglia in 2013, and took stage wins at the Tour of California and the Tour de Suisse before making his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a España. In 2015, he will go back to the Spanish Grand Tour with a goal of securing a top place overall.
He gained a lot of confidence going into the winter months after a strong 2014 season. “I feel like a new rider and more than confidence it gives you peace and the tranquility to be in the peloton, tranquility because you have a team that supports you and the calmness to face the races,” he told Cyclingnews.
“It was a very difficult year and I really did not expect things to go as they did, but with the support and help of the team I was able to do so… It is an incredible team, from the manager, directeur sportifs, staff, cyclists and people working in the office. They form a group where it is easy to be happy.”
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Following his successful debut in the WorldTour, Chaves headed home to Colombia and sunnier climes during the European winter. He split the remainder of the off season between his European base in Spain and South Africa for a team training camp – where he and his teammates added to the growing number of Orica-GreenEdge music videos.
He’s made a brief foray into racing thus far in 2015 with three one-day races, including his first appearance at Strade Bianche – which also happens to be the first time he has raced there since his accident. It was a difficult opener but Chaves is happy to finally be back in the peloton. “It was a difficult but necessary beginning, one day races are quite aggressive and explosive but this is something that you lose after three or four months of training only,” he said.
“Strade Bianche was fine, but it's a difficult race for a boy of 56kg with winds of 60kph, white roads and guys over 80kg but it is an amazing experience especially since it was my first race in Italy since 2013.”
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