Following the demise of the Euskaltel team, Mikel Nieve will put aside his role as a protected rider to work as a domestique at the mighty Sky team. The Basque climber is looking forward to riding in support of his leaders in the grand tour and is ready to put his personal ambitions aside.

Having shown great promise from the moment he turned professional, Mikel Nieve has mostly enjoyed a protected status at the Euskaltel team but his role will change next year. With Euskaltel folding at the end of the year, the Basque climber will join the Sky team where he will move into a support role.

Nieve turned professional in 2009 and showed his talents one year later when he took over captaincy duties in the Vuelta a Espana after Igor Anton had crashed out of the race while wearing the leader's jersey. Two days later he won the queen stage and went on to finish 12th overall.

In 2011 he emerged as the man for the queen stages when he passed Stefano Garzelli near the end of the mammoth queen stage of the brutal edition of the Giro d'Italia to take another beautiful solo win one day after Anton's victory on the Monte Zoncolan. He finished 10th overall and repeated that feat in the Vuelta later in the year.

In 2012, he was the team's captain in the Giro and took his third consecutive 10th place in a grand tour but his attempt to win the queen stage to Stelvio failed when he could only manage 3rd. This year he rode his first Tour de France and put in an aggressive showing, with his 3rd place on the Mont Ventoux being his standout performance.

However, the time when Nieve will line up as a leader at a grand tour has come to an end. He has been signed with the sole purpose of providing assistance to his leaders in the mountains and with Richie Porte targeting the Giro, Chris Froome leading the team in the Tour and Sergio Henao likely to spearhead the team in the Vuelta, there will be little room for Nieve's personal ambitions.

Nieve is purely aware that his role has changed.

"I have respect for the team and I'm enthusiastic," he said. "Everything will be new but they have great riders, including the winners of the last two Tours Wiggins and Froome, and also Porte. It'll be my job to work for them. Sky wants me to help their captains in the mountains. If the team leader is there to win the Giro or the Tour and for me to be part of that team must be something very satisfying and something very important.”

Nieve's 2013 season got off to a bad start and he failed to make much of an impression in the early months. However, he found his legs in time for the Tour.

"From a sporting point of view, my season can be divided into two phases," he said. "I had prepared the first part well but my allergies affected me more than ever. It wore me down, things became tough and I suffered a lot. Gradually I improved and the reward came at the Tour. I gave my best and I am also very satisfied with the Klasika San Sebastian [where he made it into the lead group and finished 4th]"

He rates his performance on the mighty Ventoux particularly high.

"It was my best day, my best time in the Tour," he said. "I gave the maximum and got as far as I could. People congratulated me and my goal is to return to that level and perhaps be more consistent. I lost my chance for a top 10 in the windy stage but the last few days also cost me a bit."

In the second half of the season, Nieve did the Vuelta but never reached the same heights as he did in the Tour.

"I was mentally affected by the uncertainty for our team," he said. "In the Vuelta, I was physically exhausted in the second week. Maybe my preparation wasn't good enough and I had to fight to get to the finish."

Nieve has already started his preparations for 2014.

"Nearly two months after the end of my season, I have wanted to start my preparation gradually, with exercises in the gym and rides on the road or my mountain bike Team Sky’s performance manager Rod Ellingworth told me to do things easy and like I always do them before we start the serious and more demanding training. The first team camp will be in December in Mallorca."

Nieve still doesn't know whether he will line up as Froome's domestique in the Tour or be a support rider for Porte in the Giro. He has no particular preference.

"The Tour is an important race because of its magnitude, its many people and its organization " he said. "For me, it is a big race. But I really like the Giro and I honestly can choose between the two races."

Nieve ended his season at the Vuelta.