Tejay Van Garderen has raced all over the world since he jumped onto the pro cycling scene in 2008 with the Rabobank Continental team, but this week he will be competing in his first Tour Colombia 2.1 with his EF Pro Cycling teammates.

"Here in Colombia, home-field advantage will be much in play," van Garderen said Saturday at the EF Pro Cycling press conference at the team hotel in Pipa, between Colombians Daniel Martinez, Sergio Igita, and Rigoberto Uran. Sitting down, he said.

"The Colombian riders will be on another level here, not only in terms of motivation, but also in terms of altitude and knowing the roads," Van Garderen said. 'So now we're looking to finish late in the season and I'm happy to be able to help three guys who are in great form, especially the recent national champions, and I think we're going to have a lot of fun.'

Van Garderen is referring to Martinez and Igita, who won the Colombian time trial and road race, respectively, last week. Van Garderen paid tribute to the EF roster, which includes four Colombians (Jonathan Caicedo is the fourth) and fellow American Lawson Craddock.

Martinez and Igita's strong showing at the Colombian Championships gives Van Garderen confidence for the Tour Colombia 2.1, which begins with a 16.7 km team time trial on Tuesday in Tunja.

When asked which team would have the biggest impact on this year's Grand Tour, Van Garderen continued his confidence in his own team.

"Of course, education first. Not just the results, but also the way we present ourselves to the public, the way we give back to people, and the message of exploring the world. Of course, other teams will be fighting for results in the Grand Tours.

Van Garderen hopes to be part of the voice that EF Pro Cycling has in the Grand Tours this year, despite a 2019 campaign that saw them abandon both the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España; EF's team director Juan Manuel Garate told the assembled media that the 31-year-old cyclist's best days are still ahead of him, but the two-time fifth-place Tour rider admitted he is ready to take on a mentoring role for the talented young crew EF has assembled.

"Yeah, a little bit," he said, responding to a question about passing on his acquired wisdom to the young riders. 'If people want to hear what I have to say, yes. If people want to ask me for advice, I'm always happy to give it and share my experience. These two guys [Martinez and Higuita] are going to have great talent for the next 15 to 20 years, and it's really exciting to see.

Van Garderen said his reason for competing in the Tour Colombia this year is very simple: he loves this country and its people. He first tasted it when he was training with Uran before last year's Tour and wanted to come back immediately.

"I'm elated to be here in Colombia," he said. I first came to Colombia to do some high altitude camping after last year's Tour of California. After that experience, I told the team we should do this race next year.

The rise of Colombian cyclists over the past decade also motivated Van Garderen to seek this race.

"That's one of the reasons I wanted to come here," he said of the Colombian riders. 'There must be something in the Colombian water. Because the Colombians dominate cycling.

"I've had nothing but great experiences with all the Colombians. Well, I crashed Dani (Martinez) in the Tour a few years ago. I am sorry about that. But I think that's behind me now. But I've had nothing but great experiences with the Colombian riders.

Van Garderen was also positive about the state of cycling in the US, despite the recent loss of the Tour of California and many national calendar races. Van Garderen brushed off the disappointing news and cited the young American riders who are making their mark on the World Tour.

"I think American cycling is doing very well," he said. There are a lot of young riders coming up, like Sepp Kuss (Jumbo Visma), who just won a stage at the Vuelta. There are a lot of young riders like Sepp Kuss (Jumbo Visma), who just won a stage at the Vuelta. Quinn Simmons of Trek-Segafredo won the Junior World Championships and is also competing on the World Tour. I think the young generation of cyclists coming up will be very successful."