Colombian climber Mauricio Soler is already doing long daily rides, working on and testing his strength on climbs near his home in Colombia. "Mauricio is taking advantage of the warm climate in Colombia. He's working hard and doing four and even five hour rides per day. He's hardly stopped riding during the winter since he was off the bike last summer because of his injuries," Team Barloworld Manager Claudio Corti reveals.

A lot is expected of Soler and his hard work is a clear sign to the team managers that he will return to the successful level of 2007 when he won the climber's jersey at the Tour de France and showed the world that he is one of the best climbers in cycling.

South African rider Robert Hunter is also taking advantage of the good weather in the southern hemisphere. After some time in Europe for the holidays, he will soon return to South Africa to work hard on his sprinting skills in the sun. At this point he's also doing rides of up to a five hour duration.

Team Barloworld's talented young riders John-Lee Augustyn and Chris Froome are also training hard in South Africa, knowing that 2009 could be their breakthrough season after showing clear signs of their talent last summer.

Team Barloworld will start their 2009 racing season in Italy at the GP Costa degli Etruschi race in Tuscany on Saturday, February 7.