After illness curtailed his bid for a second Grand Tour podium place of the season at the Vuelta a Espana, Rigoberto Uran’s debut season at Omega Pharma-Quickstep will end with a tilt at the Beijing title.

The Belgian super team have enjoyed success in Beijing before, thanks to Tony Martin’s 2012 win – secured thanks to a solo breakaway victory.

Uran, however, will look to make his mark in the mountains and if the Colombian ace can rediscover the form he showed in finishing second at the Giro d’Italia he is certainly capable of doing that.

The full composition of the Quickstep line-up is not yet known at the time of writing but Uran confirmed his participation at the 2015 Giro d’Italia route presentation.

With Omega Pharma-Quickstep having taken their season’s win tally to 60, thanks to Zdenek Stybar’s Binche-Chimay-Binche win, Uran now has the chance to put the icing on the cake.

Arguably one of the strongest contenders set for the Beijing start line, much will depend on the Colombian’s form after being forced to abandon the Vuelta.

On full fitness, however, Uran is undoubtedly a major contender.