Esteban Chavez decided to change things up and compete in his home Tour for the first time at the start of the 2020 season, and rode as part of the Colombian national team at the Tour Colombia 2.1 this week.

By a rider who was injured in a terrible crash at the 2017 Giro delle Miglia, won a mountain stage at last year's Giro d'Italia, and has slowly crawled his way to the top end of the sport, hoping to find more success in the Grand Tours in 2020, belonging It was a special request for the Mitchelton-Scott trade team, to which he belongs.

"I've wanted to race in Colombia since I turned pro, and this race gave me that chance," Chavez told Cycling News on Wednesday before the start of stage 2 in Pipa.

"I asked the team to come, which is important because they have an Australian summer and the team sponsor is Australian. I asked if I could race with the Colombian selection and they agreed."

Chavez is one of six riders on the Colombian team; Chavez's brother Brayan also raced for Mitchelton-Bike Exchange's Continental team and is now on the Colombian team.

"It's very special to be in the selection with my brother. He started with my foundation team four or five years ago and now he races for one of the most important teams.

"I can teach him some of the right things, like how to treat people, teammates, and the general public. It's special for my brother and for myself."

Aside from racing with his brother in front of family and friends, changing things up is part of Mitchelton Scott's strategy to get the most out of the Colombian climber. Previously with Mitchelton Scott, Chaves started the season in often cold and rainy Europe.

"I've done that every year since I turned pro, and always the same thing with the same results.

"We were talking about this race yesterday, and I'm going to do a lot of things I've never done in this selection. When you're on a trade team it's very different from being on a national team. This race will prepare us to go to Europe and avoid the cold. It's very important for us. Our blood is hot.

Chaves will not be able to avoid the European cold forever as he heads to Europe after the Colombia race. He told Cycling News that the calendar is not yet set, but that he will start either Paris-Nice, Tirreno-Adriatico, or Volta a Catalunya.

He also said that he does not know which Grand Tours he will compete in, but is certain which three-week race is his favorite.

"I always love the Giro d'Italia," he said. The Giro d'Italia is a race after my own heart, but this year's Tour is a particularly good race for climbers, and one of my goals is Tokyo [the 2020 Olympics]. I want to be part of that selection, I was part of the selection four years ago, and I think that would be very special.

The Giro d'Italia is special to Chaves because his stage win at the Giro d'Italia was an important milestone in his comeback from injury and illness that nearly ended his career. Soaring to victory, he was far from the rider who came agonizingly close to the Giro crown in 2016. But what he lacked in power he made up for in determination; the terrain may have been too shallow for him to attack his rivals in one big attack, but he probed, prodded, pulled out, and eventually beat all who came along.

"I showed myself more than I showed everyone. 'I may worry about my outward appearance, but I need to worry more about my inner life. I proved that I could do it

"For two and a half years, I had a really hard time not achieving or reaching my goals. It was really important to show that I could do it. But it's not just about planning and working hard, it's also about having fun."

Chaves said he is rediscovering his love for cycling and the joy it brings. This Colombian rider is passionate and brilliant, and after a decade as a professional and a series of hardships, his love for cycling had faded. Now, "joy" is a big part of his training plan.

"I forget joy when I plan. You know the wattage, the altitude, the peak of your training, all those things, but you forget the most important thing."