The silhouette is as unmistakable now as it was 15 years ago on that May afternoon when he jumped out of obscurity and rode a seemingly undersized bike to a 45-second lead at the Giro d'Italia. At the time, no one quite knew what to make of Jose Lujano.

When Lujano, who turns 38 next month, was selected for the Venezuelan team for the Vuelta a San Juan, one might have thought he was being used as a mentor for his young countryman. Not so. Nearly seven years after his unfortunate last racing experience in Europe, he is eager to return to the show one last time. The Vuelta a San Juan and next month's Tour Colombia 2.1 are like store windows, he explained.

"I want to go to Europe again with the WorldTour team," Rugano told Cycling News before the opening stage. 'I want to prove that I still have the legs for that. I want to show myself in the next two important races and then see if any team wants to sign Rujano for the Giro, Tour, or Vuelta a España."

"I'm happy, I'm fit, and I want to be a pro again. I want to compete in the Giro and the Tour. I have the desire and I still feel young. I look at Valverde and Oscar Sevilla, they are four or five years older than me, so I think I still have four or five years left in me.

Rouhano's last race in Europe was the 2013 Tour de Romandie, where he was never part of Vacansoleil.

"I was just on the phone with a friend and I wasn't really involved at all, but I've been in UCI races since then and I want to show once again that Roujano is still here.

Rujano then raced vigorously in Latin America, including winning the 2015 Vuelta al Tachira, but his motivation to compete slowly waned and his intermittent appearances became increasingly infrequent, although he did not race at all in 2018, she started riding her bike again at the urging of her daughter Victoria and son Jayson.

Riding the mountain roads above his home in the Andean town of Santa Cruz de Mora, Rujano gradually lost the extra weight and his motivation to race slowly returned. I guess I have unfinished business," he says. He lost his passion for cycling about five years ago, but two years ago it came back. My son is a big motivator."

At the height of his career, Lujano's fame in his home country brought him favor and prestige from admirers in high places; in 2011, Hugo Chávez promised government support so Lujano could form his own professional team, but Chávez's successor Nicolás Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaidó have been rocked by the impasse in Venezuela, and such a project seems years away. Amid the political stalemate, the human crisis has escalated: since 2015, more than 3 million people have left Venezuela, and an estimated 9 in 10 Venezuelans live in poverty.

"There are many problems in Venezuela and we hope that the country will recover as soon as possible and what is not working will improve," Rujano said. 'Because we are the ones who are suffering at the moment.'

Rujano's reputation, at least in Europe, rests on two remarkable Giro performances: in 2005, he took off on the final day in Colle delle Finestre and nearly took the overall win with a finish in Sestriere. Six years later, he went toe-to-toe with Alberto Contador in the mountains, winning on the summit of Grossglockner and finishing sixth overall. It was no coincidence that Gianni Savio, who first took Rugano across the Atlantic in 2005 and 2011, took over as coach, but each time the relationship between rider and team fell apart rapidly.

In 2006, Rugano abandoned the Giro just short of the finish line in La Thuille before moving to Quick Step mid-season. He then went on to Unibet and Caisse d'Epargne before taking a stage win with Savio at the 2011 Giro.

But when Rugano planned his most recent comeback, one of his first calls was to his former coach. Savio explained that the prodigal son would not be welcomed back for a third time.

"It's hard to judge," he said. 'He already called me three or four months ago and I explained that my philosophy is to use young players, so I wouldn't sign a 36- or 37-year-old.' But Jose spoke well, acknowledging the mistakes he himself had made in the past."

"He was a young man who had met success but did not know how to manage it. At the time I tried to advise him, but he would not listen. Now he says: 'You were right, Gianni. He was a bit overwhelmed by his status as a big personality, especially here in South America. In Venezuela he was invited everywhere and there were girls who wanted him. He was swept up in his own success."

Rujano will shine in the summit finish of the Alto Colorado in San Juan this week. He will test himself against the likes of Julian Alaphilippe and Remco Evenpole on a road that snakes up to 2,500 meters in elevation. I want to compete there," he said.

Of course, no matter what he achieves here or in Colombia, the prospect of Rugano returning to the Grand Tours seems fanciful in the extreme. Nevertheless, there is no guarantee that his name will not reappear in the European peloton at some point. At the recent Vuelta al-Takira, Jaison Rujano finished 18th overall in his first race since his junior days.

"He's still very young, only 18 years old. 'He's very young, only 18 years old.'