Roman before the start: We will see how I feel in the mountains

What do you expect of yourself? I was given the leadership role mainly because of the results that I have achieved in this season and over the eight years as a pro I have gained some experience. That may be the reason why the team wants me to keep everybody calm and relaxed in the beginning. But let´s see what the first hard stages bring. We will see what happens and then we can make any predictions. Who is the team captain? Nicolas Roche should be the team captain. He has been getting ready for the Vuelta for a long time and he is in great shape. The way I see it is that I will ride in his support. We have brought along a really strong team and we would not be surprised if we had three riders in top ten. We can easily ride for two or three riders. How are you feeling? The performance test that I underwent at the camp showed some good results but we have to wait for the race itself. I hope that we will deliver a strong performance right in the opening team time trial. We have a well-balanced team. There are some good climbers, Zaugg as the main domestique in the mountains, a versatile rider Petrov and then the strong boys for the flat stages like Tosatto, Niki Sörensen and Mörköv. Who do you consider the biggest favorites? Valverde and Rodriguez, I guess, but we should not underestimate Nibali. To be honest, I haven’t given it much thought. Do you think that you can top off your excellent season with an even better result? I can already say that my season has been a success. Whatever the outcome, it will be only a bonus. I have two more races to compete: Vuelta and the Worlds, whose route should suit to my characteristics. We will see whether I can notch up another success.