Still humble, but looking forward to greater challenges and more responsibility

Warren Barguil was no doubt one of the new revelations of 2013, and the 22-year-old Frenchman is very pleased with his results in his pro-debut.

“I really did not expect to be able to produce such a season in my debut with the pros,” Barguil told directvelo.com. “For me, 2013 was primarily to be a year of transition. I was told that it would be almost impossible to go win a race, especially since I had a big program with a lot of races at WorldTour events. Regularly riding with the world’s best, I came to realize all the progress I have to make yet.”

Barguil had a relative inconspicuous start in his first season amongst cycling’s best, but this all changed when he won two stages in the Vuelta, and quickly became a household names.

“The Tour of Spain may have changed my career, and given me even more desire to perform. I know that after these two victories, I will have more expectations in 2014, but I do not have much fear of any pressure that journalists have provided. I remain the same and I’m here first to have fun on the bike. One thing is certain – I feel I have progressed and I’m ready to tackle the next season in the same spirit as the previous.”

Barguil has also joined France’s ever looming pool of potential GT winners, and and the recent success has made him feel even more at home on his Dutch team.

“It helped me get my bearings more quickly in the team. Suddenly, I felt comfortable after the winter training camps,” he continued. “Argos-Shimano is a team that is totally me. This is a group with great cohesion. Nobody has to suffer under the authority of one or another leader. Everyone has his say during a briefing, for example, and this is probably why the team works so well.

“I’ll never forget the moment I crashed in the Vuelta. The team supported me, managers and riders. I think of my team-mates Johannes Fröhlinger and Thierry Hupond, who stayed by my side until the end of the stage. They reminded me that my Tour of Spain was not finished, and it is during this difficult time that I turned a corner mentally. I saw that I had some great believers in me at Argos-Shimano and it is thanks to this team that I am here today.”

One of the perks of his two Vuelta victories is the added confidence in Barguil from the team, and he does also hope that 2014 will allow him to race as the team’s leader.

“I am well aware that my role may still change in the team in 2014,” the French rider added. “I feel ready to assume a leadership role in some stage races because of work I have done. I know what it is like to defend a jersey and resist pressure [he won the Tour de l’Avenir in 2012]. In fact, when I look back, I am very pleased to have continued as an amateur in 2012 because I could learn those fundamentals. To continue what I have achieved this season, the main objective will be to challenge for some stages. I think about races like Paris-Nice, the Tour of the Basque Country, the Tour de Romandie, or the Critérium du Dauphiné, although nothing is official yet.”

Barguil also revealed that the only certainties in his 2014 calendar are the Grand Prix La Marseillaise and the Tour of Oman, although he still expects at least one Grand Tour start.