MTN-Qhubeka climber Louis Meintjes believes that despite tackling back-to-back Grand Tours - in his case, the 2015 Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana - for the first time in his career, he is in better shape than when he rode the Vuelta last August.
Currently 20th at 1:31, last year the South African finished 55th in the Vuelta, his first-ever Grand Tour. He secured a worthy top five placing at La Camperona and showed he was finishing strongly with an 18th place on the notoriously difficult Ancares climb just one day from the finale.
After a Tour de France where Meintjes had his best ride on the Plateau de Beille stage, taking fifth, but then had to abandon with a severe stomach upset in the final week, the 23-year-old is upbeat about racing in the 2015 Vuelta.
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“I’m definitely a step higher than last year at the Vuelta,” Meintjes tells Cyclingnews at the start of stage six.
The Vuelta’s second start in as many years in Andalusia is definitely to his liking as well. “Southern Spain is Europe that’s most like Africa,” Meintjes argues. “The hot weather and the terrain is very similar, the route’s very good for me. This is the closest to home it gets.”
Meintjes is also eyeing the overall classification, but is playing it fairly cautiously, given riding two Grand Tours in one year represents uncharted waters for the South African. “I was fairly unsure of my form after racing the Tour this summer, but we’re keeping the gc door open for now.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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