Gutierrez excited to return to competition

Quique Gutierrez is set to make his return to the peloton with Rock Racing after a year off due to not having a contract. In just eight days, the Valencian will race the Tour of California from February 14 - 22.

"I am very excited to return to compete again and feel like a professional," said Gutierrez, who will turn 35 years old in June. "Thanks to my contacts with Oscar Sevilla, I have a place on this team and a new opportunity in my career. I've already done 8,000km of training."

Gutierrez thinks his new team's chances are good in California. "I think we have a team capable of doing things on the calendar in the US and Europe because there is an interesting mix of experienced and young riders."

In the meantime, he has been enjoying quiet roads, warm temperatures and plenty of training time in California with his team, but he is antsy to race. "What I really want is to return to the heart of the competition."