Rigoberto Urán may have cracked more than a few jokes in the EF Education-EasyPost press conference before O Gran Camiño, but it was also crystal clear that both he and teammate Richard Carapaz are taking their next racing challenge, which starts Thursday in A Coruña, very seriously indeed.
Both Carapaz and Urán were in the thick of the action in the recently completed Tour Colombia, finishing second and fourth overall, with Carapaz' solo victory on the Queen Stage at the Alto del Vino summit finish arguably one of the most memorable of his career to date.
The duo recognised however, that O Gran Camiño would raise the bar considerably, with three stages on twisting narrow roads - "up and down all day, this is Galicia" as Urán succinctly put it - and very possibly in much tougher weather conditions.
That's not even mentioning the much deeper field, they will also cross swords with other top rivals of the calibre of Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease A Bike) and David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), along with key Tour Colombia rival, Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers)
Anticipating what could be a very wet and wild four days in Galicia, Urán jokingly told a small group of reporters, including Cyclingnews, with a grin "I don't like the rain and cold, I like the wind, but only on the beach when it's really hot and it can cool you down.
"Seriously though, of course, it's tricky, coming across from Colombia where the weather's very different, but we do know that the first few days of the season are always like this. We're ready for it.
"There are lots of top riders here, and it's not like it used to be, the big names want to win right from the start of the season. That makes it more complicated.
"But we've got a very powerful team, not just me and Richard but Neilson [Powless], for example, and I'm enjoying every race I do, because" - having announced his retirement this season after the Tour Colombia - "these are the last races of my career."
"I want to do as well as possible, all the races are important, and I hope to help the team out as much as I can."
It was a sign of how good morale was collectively in the EF Education-EasyPost camp that their press conference had more than a few lighter moments, such as when Urán was asked whether he thought he could win outright, he replied, "Oh, but that guy's riding, isn't he - what's his name, Vingegaard?"
As for whether O Gran Camiño would be his last race in Spain, he sparked laughter again by jokingly with a good-humoured grin, "Well, I'll be doing the Volta a Catalunya, but maybe that's not Spain…"
Good-humoured references to Tour de France winners and Catalunya's longstanding pro-independence bids, Urán was clearly motivated by a chance to take part in a new race so close to the end of his career, while Carapaz was keen to find his own chances as well.
"I've come here directly after a few days in Ecuador after Colombia," Carapaz said, "And I feel fine, hitting my top level. The rivals are different and harder, but it's a good test for me, now I'm starting the year."
"My victory in the Alto del Vino was very nice, but it'd be great if I could repeat that here."
Carapaz will then go on working towards the Tour, but also Strade Bianche, the GP Indurain or all three Ardennes Classics, with the idea of testing himself out in one-day races before the Olympics Games. (Cue yet more humour, when Carapaz, the 2020 Olympic road champion, pointed out that it had not yet been formally decided if he would be selected, Urán gently but pointedly insisted he would: or as Urán put it, claro que lo harás, guebón! - of course, you'll be doing it, you slacker!)
On a more serious note and regarding Thursday's time trial, Carapaz told Cyclingnews later, "It's going to be a bit of a lottery because the weather is going to be such a big factor, and whether you are unlucky or lucky with the rain and wind and so on."
"But we've got to look over it already and it's a very nice time trial, quite technical, a good distance to work as a test, particularly as there are some real top specialists here."
"It'll have an important effect on the overall outcome, but it's Sunday and that final ascent that'll really decide who wins the race."
In a sign, though, that the bigger goals are perhaps still some way down the road, Carapaz was unwilling to state exactly what he hoped to achieve in his debut in Galicia, an area where he's only ever raced in the Vuelta. "I didn't even come here as an amateur [when racing with the Movistar feeder team, Lizarte]," he pointed out.
"I'm not going to put a specific target on the overall, we'll see what kind of form I've got, what the numbers are like and analyse them. That's more important than a specific result because it'll give me a reference point for the rest of the season."
