South Africa's big hope in the Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain) believes he needs to make his move early if he wants to make an impact in the last of the Grand Tours this season.
An eighth-place finish in the last two editions of the Tour de France has elevated UAE Team Emirates rider Louis Meintjes into the realm of potential contenders, but he needs to get an early move on in the Pyrenees.
It is when Meintjes, with his 59kg frame (his body, not his bike), is scaling peaks that he has the world at his feet.
"The Vuelta comes to Andorra on stage three. It is quite a big mountain stage. It will be really important to be in the front group," the Rustenburg-born rider said from El Pas de la Casa in Andorra this week.He will draw some encouragement from "dropping" Chris Froome and other top contenders earlier this year on a stage of the Criterium du Dauphine, the prelude to the Tour de France.
"Even if you finish second behind him it is a really good result. If you have a good day you can finish in front of him."
Three-time runner-up Froome may be the favourite but the Brit, a Team Sky rider, is yet to win the Vuelta. Besides, a stellar field will line up for the start in the French town of Nimes on Saturday. Fabio Aru, Romain Bardet, Vincenzo Nibali, Simon Yates and Alberto Contador are all there."Froome will definitely be right up there," said Meintjes. "Even if he isn't 100%, he's still a step above the rest. It is also the end of the season and we'll have to see how the riders deal with fatigue."
That perhaps partly explains why no one has won the Tour de France and the Vuelta in the same year since 1995.
"It's not really a science," he said about recovery times between the last two Grand Tours. "It's a case of trial and error. Every rider is an individual and these things affect you differently. Once you've done it a few times you learn what works for you.
"I have to see how my body responds. Sometimes after a tour or a long season you go amazingly well. Sometimes you miss that extra 5% because of fatigue. In the first week I will have to see where I'm at."
His team will have to play a major supporting role too if Meintjes is going to make an impact.
"We have a big team. Some of the guys don't even get to race together because we are on different racing programmes. It's mostly an Italian team so the culture is a bit different. I'm really enjoying it."The team, which morphed from the Lampre-Merida unit at the start of the year, don't just have to win races; they have to win hearts in the United Arab Emirates too.
"It sounds really good," said Meintjes about the increasing popularity of the sport. "Cycling is really taking off and you can see it on the social media platforms. It really looks like the team is successful in getting the people of the UAE on bicycles.
"You can already see it from the response of the people in the UAE through our website - uaeteamemirates.com - and you can see it through the events where there are huge turnouts. It is increasing in numbers all the time."
Although he is enjoying his time with UAE Team Emirates, Meintjes, a former MTN Qhubeka rider, said he is yet to decide with who he will be pedalling next year.
"I haven't signed anything yet. We have to wait and see."
delcarmel@sundaytimes.co.za..