When Archie Ryan (EF Education EasyPost) rode the recent Tour of Austria he was second best, but only to Isaac del Toro (UAE Emirates XRG), the rider who finished 2nd in the Giro d'Italia and should have won that race but for some of the most idiotic tactics pro cycling has seen for many years.
That fact - that Irishman Ryan was only beaten by one of the very best young stars in the sport at present - is confirmation he has the talent, and form, required to take a stage win at La Vuelta, which he starts in Italy this Saturday.
However, a stage win, or not, won't dictate the trajectory of Ryan's career. He has a rare climbing talent that will deliver big success. Whether that happens at this Vuelta, or some other race, is the only question. Ahead of the event, the 23-year-old is sounding confident.
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"I'm pumped. I'm super, super excited," he said. "I want to try and get in the break in some of the harder stages and fight for a stage win or two. That’s the goal. There are going to be loads of opportunities.
"I think it is going to be a great three weeks. I haven't done a grand tour before, so I'm excited for the experience. We've got a super young squad. It’ll be pretty exciting and hopefully Poppy Chaves can guide us through it nicely.
"That is why I'm just really excited to go there. It is the grand tour that has the stages that suit me the best.
"The training has been going pretty well. I had a good week in Burgos. It was nice to be racing in the heat that we'll probably see at the Vuelta as well. It has been a pretty steady run in. I can’t complain. I am in good form and ready to go."
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Ryan, and his twin brother Will, first came to public attention when riding cyclocross for Ireland as a junior. They had already been busy, going to Spain as U16s and seeking out the hilliest races they could find.
While Will decided on a path away from cycling, Archie kept at it, despite a four-year U23 career that was almost completely wiped out by knee problems. Towards the end of his tenure as an U23 he returned to racing, for Jumbo Visma Development very late in the 2023 season.
He rode one race for his trade team - 4th at Trofeo Bonin Costruzioni (1.2U) - before riding Tour de l'Avenir for Ireland, winning a mountain stage. There followed 6th on a stage at Škoda Tour Luxembourg (2.Pro), riding for Jumbo Visma's World Tour team.
His season concluded with two top results at U23 level; 2nd at Il Lombardia and scoring a win at Coppa Citta' Di San Daniele (1.2). Then there followed last season, his first at World Tour level for EF Education-EasyPost; a stage win, 2nd overall and 'young rider' classification winner at Coppi e Bartali (2.1).
Last year, Ryan was also 5th at Gran Premio Miguel Indurain (1.Pro), 9th overall - and 6th and 9th on stages - at Tour de l'Ain (2.1), 4th on a stage at Tour de Pologne (2.UWT), 5th overall - and 3rd on a stage - at Lidl Deutschland Tour (2.Pro) and 9th at Giro dell'Emilia (1.Pro).
His 21st in the road race at the Worlds went under the radar but - at 274km - it was argubaly his best result of the season. That performance, after 6½ hours in the saddle, much of it spent working for Ben Healy, marked Ryan out as a rider whose abilities don't dip into the sixth and seventh hour of racing.
This season, Ryan has ridden much harder races; his Tour of Austria performance the stand-out. And if he was best there, aside from del Toro, the Vuelta should hold no fear for him, especially as he is aiming for a stage win and is free of any general classification burden.
