It is the season of the blur and new account for Romain Bardet , a characteristic contender for the Tour de France since he threatened to step on the Paris podium in 2014 and climbed on it in 2016 and 2017. After two editions in decline, he has decided to forget about the obsession of the Champs Elysees. Its 2020 program points to the Tour of Italy and the Tour of Spain . He has not competed since he finished the last Tour, on July 28, in 15th place overall, his worst final classification, identical to his debut at the Grande Boucle, in 2013.

A minor change is that for the first time it will compete in January, from next Sunday at the Criterium Schwalbe, prelude to the Australian Down Under Tour (February 21-26). A premiere that will be sad for the ecological catastrophe of an endless fire in the great oceanic country. Despite speculation, this first WorldTour calendar competition is not likely to be suspended .

"I am looking forward to putting on a race number and I am very happy to discover this race, much awaited and popular here, despite the environmental disaster that affects Australia today. We have seen some of the devastation in places near Adelaide and I hope that the race can mean an even greater boost to the global solidarity movement to help regions devastated by fire, "says Bardet. The Frenchman has been a close witness to the development of the crisis, since he has been in Australia since December 28, in the company of some cyclists of his team, the Ag2r-La Mondiale : Clément Chevrier, Axel Domont and Larry Warbasse.

"I have never debuted so soon in a season, but I think this race will offer me the best conditions for the quiet start of a great season, progressing day by day in short and mountainous stages," he said from Adelaide.

SNOW FLEES FROM THE COLD IN BOGOTÁ

Esteban Chaves has been trying for years to convince his teammates of the advantages of preparing the season in Colombia. He even planned a training camp for his team to train 3,000 meters before the Tour de France 2017. If he has not had great success in his crusade, it has been due to the physical problems Chavito has been suffering in recent times . But from time to time one of his classmates appears to check the benefits of training around Bogotá.

These days is with him the Navarrese Mikel Snow , who flees the Navarrese ice and discovers the new world, ideal for a second single. And, incidentally, to support a solidarity project of 'crowdfunding' launched by his fellow Bogota to operate children with congenital orthopedic problems. It is close to getting the 200 million pesos (about 65,000 euros) marked as objective.

Snow, 35, will begin his 13th professional season and sports an immaculate curriculum as one of the best gregarious of the decade that ends. And also, when the leaders did not reach their goals, they saved the furniture of their teams with agonizing victories in marathon stages, especially in the Tour of Italy, their talisman career. His work during the last two seasons has earned him a contract renewal for another two, until the end of 2021 . An extension that is not frequent among runners of their age.

"Just being here at this altitude is already a training," the Leitza climber told fellow Colombian World Cyclists. Some runners are already testing it. Last year, taking advantage of the celebration of Tour Colombia in Antioquia, leading runners of the Movistar Team, the Deceuninck Quick Step or Team Sky , enjoyed these conditions to train and load power for a long season. Mark Soler, Alaphilippe, Enric Mas or Chris Froome, among them.

When on February 11 begins the third edition of the Colombian stage test established in 2018 with the name Gold and Peace (already discarded last year) Mikel Nieve will not be there, because Mitchelton Scott is still not released in this race . Yes, Esteban Chaves will debut in it, which will run with the jersey of the Colombian national team a few days after participating in the national championships online and against the clock. By the way, in that platoon of the Tour Colombia will be one of the two boys raised in the Esteban Chaves Foundation who have arrived at the WorldTour this season, Einer Rubio (Movistar Team). The other, Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain McLaren), will have already debuted by then in the Tour Down Under.

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