Esteban Chaves has already been through more than one very tough time in his life, and the Colombian is not one to complain without a very good reason. But even the Mitchelton-Scott racer admits that his experiences in 2018 have constituted a very special kind of challenge. `It was not easy to go from finishing second in the Giro d`Italia [in 2016] to go to being the very last rider to come across the line of the very last stage, like I was in Rome this year,` Chaves, now about to turn 29, tells Cyclingnews as he builds towards his 2019 season. `Those things are hard, but you have to go on fighting and persevering. You have to keep going. I`ve known and learned about that ever since I was a child. That`s how you face life.`ADVERTISEMENT Second in 2016, the Colombian`s Giro d`Italia bid this May alongside teammate Simon Yates worked out phenomenally well in the first half until Chaves was poleaxed by a combination of viral infections, including glandular fever, a sinus infection and allergies. He finished, but in 72nd place overall and a shadow of his earlier Giro self. He then spent several months off the bike, fighting and identifying the illnesses and viruses before being cleared to resume training. Now, Chaves is heading back to racing. His program for the 2019 season and first race since the Giro d`Italia last May will start with the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana from February 6-10, but he is as yet uncertain what will happen afterwards. It will be a voyage in the dark. `I`ll be in Colombia until the end of January and then Valencia will be my first race. Depending on how I finish that race, we`ll see what we do next,` Chaves told Cyclingnews.
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