Arredondo hopeful of Vuelta a España appearance

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After a successful grand debut at the Giro d'Italia which saw Julián Arredondo (Trek Factory Racing) claim a stage win and the climbers blue jersey, the 25-year-old announced his ambition to line up in Jerez for the start of the Vuelta a España on August 23.

In an interview on Vanguardia.com the Colombian also outlined his upcoming racing schedule which all be North American events. Arredondo, who had his contract extended after his Giro display, is set to line up at the Tour of Utah [4-10 August], Tour of Colorado [18-24 August] and the Tour of Alberta [2-7 September].

For Arredondo, the Giro was a special occasion as he explained;  "There were many incredible moments, the love of the people, of the Colombians, and the triumph with that stage that I won," he said. "I fought and fought for many days and those sacrifices were rewarded, because the day that I won the stage, it was unforgettable."

Along with the rest of the peloton, Arredondo also suffered in the snow and cold of stage 16 over the Gavia and Stelvio which he explained as the hardest day of the Giro.

"On the stage of the Stelvio, I suffered a lot with the cold. I warned of inclement weather and that if there was snow, we had to change clothes. I changed when going over to the Stelvio and going down the descent I was one of the last riders.

"When I got off the bike, I could not speak, I could not close my hands. I was frozen. The team put me in the car, put on the heating, sheltered me and gave me tea. After that, I was able to react and I was left with two teammates so that I would return to the gruppeto to finish within one minute of the time limit."

Arredondo is hopeful of starting his second grand tour of the year which would also serve as preparation for the world championships in Ponferrada, Spain in September.

"I would very much like to animate some of the stages at the Vuelta a España with the plan to take part in the world championships. It's something that I am discussing with the team and sport directors. If I go there feeling strong, I intent to complete it."