On November 27, Iván Gutiérrez, who turned professional in 2000 with Team O.N.C.E., celebrated his 31st birthday. In our interview with Gutierrez, the rider from the Cantabria region, who is currently in the saddle for Team Caisse d'Epargne, reflects on the 2009 season and reveals his goals for 2010.

Did you achieve your goals in 2009?

It is a fact that the season 2009 was far from the best of my professional career and that I did not achieve my goals. I in fact never felt perfectly well. The proof that I was not able to be at the top is that I won no race at all, something that has never happened to me in past seasons as a pro cyclist - not even when I was riding as an amateur before I turned pro. I always won at least a few races and this is the very first year I have not been able to do it. It was as if I was feeling tired all the time. But I don't want to be too negative because I was not that bad and I was all the same able to do my job as a supporting rider within the team and I could help my teammates each time it was necessary. But I am a winner and in certain races I start the race hoping to win it, what was not possible for me this year. On the other hand in such an important race as the Tour de France, without being at my best level, I was able to achieve all that my team asked of me. Later in the season when I usually reach my best level, I was ill and as a consequence of this I was not able to win races such as the Eneco Tour again. Let's just say that this year was not a very lucky one for me.

How do you explain that?

This year was a special one for me because of personal problems and I believe those had an influence on the professional aspect of my life. But I don't want to make a drama out of it. Each year is different and what is important is to understand why things went wrong this year so that history will not repeat itself in 2010. This winter I am resting much more that what I did last year because I believe this is something very important. At the end of 2008 I started training to soon and it appears to have been a mistake. 

You recently extended your contract with Caisse d'Epargne. What does this team mean to you?

This team is really a part of me. 2010 will be my ninth year under Eusebio Unzúe's leadership. I am one of the veterans in the team. The other riders respect me and they are able to take advantage of my qualities. I believe it is important in some circumstances to focus 100% on the team leaders but that in other ones it is also a good thing to give the other riders the chance to win races too. In this team there is room for both things. Wherever we race we almost always have a rider who is able to go for the win and everybody has the possibility to do so someday.

What will be your goals in 2010?

I never have well-defined objectives before starting a season, but I am a rider who's strength lies in going for the overall win in one-week stage races and I, therefore, have to concentrate on such events. I would like to start the season very well and race in Australia in order to take advantage of the good shape I use to be in at the beginning of a new season, because when spring arrives, I usually start suffering from allergies, so I am not able to obtain great results on the bike during that period. Later in the season I hope to once again be one of the riders who will be selected to represent Team Caisse d'Epargne in the Tour de France, before aiming for good results in the races which are organized in August and September.

And what about the objectives of your team?

The objectives of the team will be the same as always. It will be important to do well in the Tour and more than ever in 2010 considering the fact that the team's sponsorship contract with Caisse d'Epargne expires at the end of the year. We will also see what decision CAS takes concerning Alejandro Valverde.  Apart from that we have a team which is strong enough to be on the podium in more or less every race it participates in. We never have a meeting at the beginning of the year to define season objectives. We choose our objectives according to the opportunities we meet during the season.

The latest race in which you participated was the Tour of Chihuahua, in Mexico back in October. Keeping your need for rest in mind, what have you done since then to prepare for the 2010 season and what are your plans for the coming weeks?

Till now what I did what to rest most of all. I did some sport but it was more for the fun of it than really to train. But from now on I will start training hard again. I will go to the gym, to the swimming pool, and start riding my bike again during the same period. To start with I will train three or four times a week on the bike, according to the weather, before progressively increasing the frequency and the rhythm. I want to be in good shape as soon as the season 2010 starts.

Three riders from your home region of Cantabria are part of your team. Ivan Gutierrez, Angel Madrazo and Juanjo Cobo. Does this mean that cycling has reached its peak level in your region?

We have always had good riders in Cantabria. The problem in cycling is that there are not teams enough for everyone. It is true that having three riders from our region in a team like Caisse d'Epargne is something important. This team is without any doubt one of the best in the world and for us it is really a luxury to have the chance to be part of such a great squad. I believe that many people do not realize the level of strength present in our team, but it is a fact that any professional rider would like to ride for Team Caisse d'Epargne. That is the proof that it is everything but easy to become part of this team, and even difficult for the ones, like me, who have been with the team for many years to be allowed to stay.

Your brother David Gutierrez turns pro with the ProTour Team Footon-Servetto in 2010. What advice do you have for him at this point in time and what should he keep in mind later on in the season?

I believe that for a young rider the move from amateur to pro will feel terrible. To move from the amateur category to the professional one and all the more in a ProTeam is really something. He already started training hard. He is ahead of me in his preparation, because I explained to him that for a young rider it is very important to have a good start to be able to feel mentally alright. It is crucial to begin the season having already reached good form. He will experience a lot of ordinary days, many bad ones and maybe also some good ones, but what he will have to do mostly is adapt to the pro category. A problem in cycling is the fact that the difference between the amateur category and the ProTour one is far too big. Young riders should have the possibility to mature while being part of a continental team before moving to a ProTeam. However, the instability of continental teams makes them prefer the agony of a ProTour squad over the begging in a continental team.