Having returned to the highest level with Lampre-Merida following a doping suspension, Maximilano Richeze mixed it up with the best sprinters in the Eneco Tour and the Vuelta a Espana but narrowly missed out on the win. The Argentinean has been rewarded for his consistency with a renewal of his contract and now hopes to get the chance to debut in the Tour de France next year.

A few years ago, Ariel Maximiliano Richeze was seen as a promising sprinter who took several top results in the Giro d'Italia but his career was temporarily put on hold when he tested positive for stanozolol at the 2008 Circuit Cycliste Sarthe. Having served a two-year suspension, he returned to competition in 2011 but had taken a step down to the continental level.

Prior to this season, several strong results earned him a contract with Lampre-Merida where he was set to be the third main sprinter on the team alongside Alessandro Petacchi and Roberto Ferrari. He had a difficult start to the season but when Petacchi announced his retirement, he got the chance in the biggest races and he grabbed the chance with both hands.

His first major results came in the Eneco Tour in August when he finished 2nd and 4th on two flat stages and he was selected as the team's sprinter for the Vuelta. He confirmed his potential by finishing in the top 3 no less than 4 times and in the top 5 an additional time to and so was the most consistent sprinter of the Spanish grand tour.

Richeze is happy that he finally found his best legs after a troubled start to the season.

The balance was good," he told Ciclismo Internacional. "After several years without WorldTour racing, I think I did a second half of the season. The beginning was not very good. I had a hard time finding the pace but from the middle of the season I had adapted."

His strong showing has convinced Lampre-Merida that the Argentinean still has a great future ahead of him and they recently renewed his contract for an additional two seasons. He now hopes to take the win that eluded him in his first season with the Italian team.

"This year I worked a little more on my resistance in order to keep up with the pace in the WorldTour races  which are very long," he said. "As a consequence, I lost some power which I lacked in the races. With a year of competition in my legs I can see that I have the strength for next year and I will now focus more on my sprint and find that little bit extra that has been missing."

That added resistance allowed Richeze to survive some tough climbs in the Vuelta where he was still in contention at times where many of the pure sprinters had been left behind. A hard course is where he excels.

"My weak point is explosive sprints," he said. "The races that are short and flat cost me more. I prefer that the courses are a bit harder and that my rivals are a bit more tired in the sprint."

Having raced for Italian teams throughout his entire career, he has had the chance to do the Giro and this year he debuted in the Vuelta. Hence, it is no wonder that he has now set his sights on the world's biggest bike race.

"I would love to ride the Tour de France since I have never done it before and because it is the biggest race in the world," he said before confirming that his race programme still hasn't been decided. He hopes to start his season on home soil in the Tour de San Luis.

However, it may be difficult to earn a selection for the Tour. With world champion Rui Costa joining the team, Lampre is likely to solely dedicate their line-up to the Portuguese's GC ambitions. The team also has Ferrari and new signing Sacha Modolo in its ranks who may be the preferred men if the team decides to select a sprinter for the French race.

Richeze ended his season at the world team time trial championships.