Orica-BikeExchange and Esteban Chaves chasing Vuelta a Espana glory

AUSTRALIA’S first World Tour cycling team, born Orica-GreenEDGE in 2011, is in the middle of a coming-of-age season on the other side of the world.

The Orica team’s Esteban Chaves wears the pink jersey during May’s Giro d'Italia

ORICA-BikeExchange is growing before our eyes.

Australia’s first World Tour cycling team, born Orica-GreenEDGE in 2011, is in the middle of a coming-of-age season on the other side of the world.

When it comes to the Grand Tours, Gerry Ryan’s pride and joy has graduated from opportunistic stage winner to legitimate general classification threat.

So much so that when the Vuelta a Espana rolls off the start line in Ourense in Spain’s northwest on August 20, Orica will have one of the title favourites in the form of little Colombian Esteban Chaves.

The team with the middle-of-the-road budget is increasingly going up the road in the biggest races.

Chaves finished second in May’s Giro d’Italia, winning the mountainous queen stage before narrowly losing out to Vincenzo Nibali on the penultimate day. Last weekend, Orica’s British prodigy Adam Yates secured fourth place and the white jersey for best young rider at the Tour de France.

It came after Michael Matthews won Stage 10 in France and Matt Hayman won Paris-Roubaix, arguably the most prestigious one-day classic, back in April.

The Orica team’s Esteban Chaves wears the pink jersey during May’s Giro d'Italia

But it’s the rising presence in the three-week blockbusters that is at the heart of the Aussie team’s growth.

“We’re definitely morphing into a general classification team off the back of young guys who have turned professional with us. They are developing, and have developed, quicker than we would have expected,” Orica-Bike Exchange sport director Matt White said.

“It’s been a special season. The Tour was really gratifying, especially after the last few years where we’ve had a disaster with bad luck.”

Orica-BikeExchange had been linked with general classification riders on rival teams in recent years, including Tasmanian Richie Porte, but has discovered they were already on the roster.

“We knew Esteban would be very competitive at this year’s Giro, but to finish second was certainly a pleasant surprise,” White said.

“The Yates brothers (Adam and Simon) have surprised us from the get-go. Simon we took to the Tour de France as a first-year pro. Adam this year; we knew he had great form, but until you’ve done a three-week race for the first time it’s just potential.

Esteban Chaves celebrates a stage win at Giro d'Italia.

“You’re just waiting for that bad day or for him to collapse in that last week but it never happened.”

The Vuelta will be typically gruelling with 10 summit finishes, starting the ultra-steep Mirador de Ézaro on Stage 3 and concluding with the Stage 20 grind up the Alto de Aitana.

Gerrans is expected to recover from the broken collarbone that forced his exit from the Tour de France to be the team’s road captain in Spain. Chaves will also find support from emerging South Australian domestique Damien Howson, who turned heads with an excellent support role at this year’s Giro.

Chaves has been preparing in hometown Bogota — what White described as a “free altitude camp staying at mum and dad’s”.

“We’re certainly expecting big things from him at the Tour of Spain this year,” he said.

“He’ll have to beat some big names, but if the Giro is any indication he’s not afraid of those guys and the team will rally around him like we did at the Giro and like we did at the Tour with Adam Yates.

“It’s exciting times.”

VUELTA A ESPANA

August 8 - September 11

21 stages, 3,277.3km

7 flat stages (2 with high-altitude finales)

12 hill and mountain stages

1 individual time trial

1 team time trial

Contenders: Chris Froome, Alberto Contador, Nairo Quintana, Estaban Chavez

Originally published as Orica-BikeExchange and Esteban Chaves chasing Vuelta a Espana glory