Deceuninck-QuickStep climber Fausto Masnada has stated his goals for 2021, his first full season with the team, with a debut at the Vuelta a España and a Grand Tour win at Lemco Evenpole.

Last year, with the CCC team in financial trouble, he moved to the Belgian team mid-season and competed in the Tirreno-Adriatico and Giro d'Italia with his new team, finishing 6th and 9th, respectively.

This was a career best for the 27-year-old, who had finished 26th and 20th in the Giro the past two seasons with Androni Giocattoli Sidelmec and also won a stage in 2019. Masnada, who led teammate Joao Almeida to his first Grand Tour top-10 finish in fourth place overall, intends to continue his progress on the Grand Tour stage.

"I'll be happy if I can continue to grow in the Grand Tours," he told Tuttobiciweb (opens in new tab).

"If I can help my teammate Remco Evenpole win a Grand Tour, I'll be very happy.

"If I had carte blanche to win a stage, I would definitely try, but the important thing is to see one of my teammates win a Grand Tour.

Masnada plans to compete in both the Giro and Vuelta in 2021, even if the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts his early season plans.

"I had planned to start 2021 with San Juan and Turkey," he said. But now the program will be revamped." If I'm healthy, I will definitely ride the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España. The Tour de France is still my goal, if not this year, then next year."

"There are a lot of champions on this team, but whoever is in charge is good at planning the races. There is plenty of room for everyone, and most importantly, they take you to the race super prepared."

As Masnada looked to the future and planned for future goals, he also reflected on the tumultuous days of 2020. Still, despite all the changes, he rated it a good season on a personal level.

"It was an absolutely positive season for me, starting with the CCC and fulfilling my dream of making the WorldTour team. Everything started well, 12th in Provence and 9th in the Tour du Var.

"Our main sponsor was having big problems with poor sales and the team told me they would stop after the season. Out of respect for the people I work with, I was going to finish 2020 with CCC and then look for a new contract.

"But at the Dauphiné, my agent told me that Detunink Quickstep was interested and wanted me right away. This opportunity was important and the CCC gave me the green light. I have a great family in Belgium, everyone works hard and helps each other. My goal was to stay as consistent as possible and keep growing.