Tag: Joaquim Rodríguez

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Rodriguez Looks Forward to Tour de France

Joaquim Rodriguez

Joaquim RodriguezKatusha’s Joaquim Rodriguez has confirmed he will ride the Tour de France despite the fact it had not originally been scheduled as part of his season. Rodriguez, who finished third at last year’s TdF, has not had a good year so far having been one of the victims of the infamous Stage 6 at the Giro d’Italia, abandoning after his crash with fractures of a rib and thumb. Commenting on his recovery the Spaniard said: ‘My rib still hurts a bit, but already there is much less pain than in the beginning. It gets better every day and we still have three more weeks until the Tour.’

 

In a statement from Katusha Rodriguez continued: ‘I really wanted to perform well in the first part of the season. I had big ambitions but my crashes in the Amstel Gold Race and the Giro ruined my chances for the classics as well as for the first Grand Tour of the season. The other goal I put in place at the beginning of the season, the Tour of Spain, is still there. The course suits me and I want to win that race. This does not mean that I go to the Tour de France as preparation for the Vuelta. I have Tour ambitions too, though not for the GC. The third week looks nice and I want to win one or more stages. I have that goal and in the mean time I will enjoy my bike. Otherwise it would be hard to watch TV without being there. It hurt during the Giro and it would hurt in the Tour, too. Those races are ‘my’ races. It’s only when I watch races like Paris-Roubaix on TV that I don’t have the feeling that I’m missing something.’

 

The full Team Katusha roster for the Tour de France is not yet finalised.

 

Full details of Team Katusha and Joaquim Rodriguez at katushateam.com and of the Tour de France at letour.com

 

Want to know how the Tour de France all began? Read the Cyclo feature Origins of the Tour de France here.

 

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Joaquim Rodriguez Wins Tour of Lombardy

Joaquim Rodriguez Wins Tour of Lombardy

Joaquim Rodriguez Wins Tour of LombardyHaving been beaten by no more than a bike’s length at last Sunday’s World Championship Road Race, Katusha’s Joaquim Rodriguez is now in more celebratory mood having won the Tour of Lombardy for the second year running. The Spanish rider was away (if not quite home) with 10km still to go on the 242km one-day classic – known colloquially as ‘Race of the Falling Leaves’ – finishing in 6hrs 10’18” with fellow countryman Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) taking second (+17) and Saxo-Tinkoff’s Rafal Majka third on +23”.

 

Thanks to the victory, Rodriguez has now passed Chris Froome as the leader of the UCI World Tour Individual Ranking with 607 points against the Sky rider’s 587 points; only the Tour of Beijing remains for the WorldTour 2013.

 

Commenting on his victory Rodriguez said, ‘Honestly I think this was a spectacular victory… I felt in a great shape, so I attacked in the same place where I attacked last year: I was the favourite rider, I think everybody knew that was my strategy and waited for my action, but anyways nobody could follow me so this incredible solo victory makes me really proud, also because now I’m first in the UCI World Tour Individual Ranking, a special classification I really care about.‘

 

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Chris Froome Wins the Tour de France 2013

Chris Froome wins Tour de France 2013

Chris Froome wins Tour de France 2013For the second year in a row Britain has a winner of the Tour de France with Chris Froome taking a decisive victory on the 100th edition. Kenyan-born Froome took – and maintained – the yellow jersey after winning Stage 8, the summit of Ax 3 Domaines, winning two further stages for good measure, the fearsome climb of Mont Ventoux (stage 15) and the 32km Time Trial Stage 17.

 

In a twilight finish on the Champs-Élysées Mark Cavendish was denied a fifth consecutive Paris stage win, edged out in a final battle between Germany’s Marcel Kittel and Andre Greipel – with Kittle taking the stage by mere inches. Due to the late finish in the French capital a victory lap was out of the question for Froome and his Team Sky teammates, with the TdF winner electing to forgo more than a minute of his overall margin to drop back and cross the line arm-in-arm with his team.

 

The usually stoic Froome took to the podium besides second placed Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and third placed Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) to make an emotional speech dedicating the win to his late mother. ‘Without her encouragement to follow my dreams,’ he said, ‘I would probably be at home watching this event on the TV. It’s a great shame she never got to come and see the Tour. But I’m sure she would be extremely proud if she was here tonight.’

 

Froome continued, ‘This amazing journey would not be possible without the support I’ve received on and off the bike. I’d like to thank my teammates who have buried themselves day in-day out, throughout this Tour to keep this yellow jersey on my shoulders. And the Team Sky management, for believing in my ability and building this team around me. Thank you to all the people who have taken their time to teach and mentor me over the years, to get me into this privileged position.’

 

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Rodriguez Shines at Vuelta

Katusha’s Joaquim Rodriguez has dazzled crowds once more on Stage 12 of the Vuelta a España (190.5km Vilagarcía de Arousa – Mirador de Ézaro) with a spectacular win at the end of the gruelling 2km, 13% gradient, Mirador de Ezaro. Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff) made a valiant effort to attack Rodriguez’s lead, but ultimately had to settle for second, with Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde placing third. Rodriguez’ total time of 44:50:35 keeps him in overall lead with 9 stages left to run until the action culminates on the streets of Madrid on September 9.

 

Commenting on his Stage 12 win, Rodriguez said, ‘I’m very happy to be still in red jersey and to improve the gap, but nothing is still decided: the competition is still long, with very hard stages, and everybody can have a bad day and drop, coming out of the fight for general classification. I’m very happy, my shape is great, people supports me a lot: I will try for sure to keep the jersey until Madrid, even if it will be difficult.’

 

The Vuelta continues today (August 31) with the 172.8km leg from Santiago de Compostela to Ferrol.

 

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(Almost) Too Close to Call

Stage 3 of the Vuelta a España yesterday saw the most thrilling of conclusions with a sprint finish atop the category 1 Alto de Arrate climb that virtually redefined the term ‘photo finish’. Ultimately though it was Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde who claimed victory over fellow Spaniard Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), with race favourites Chris Froome (Team Sky) and Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) crossing the line (in the same time) for third and fourth at the end of the 155km hilly stage through the Basque region of northern Spain.

 

Rodriguez was clearly infuriated by his failure, saying afterwards, ‘I lost a stage I was virtually holding in my hands. I knew the profile of the stage, especially I knew in the end I had to stay ahead because of two difficult downhill corners. In fact I was perfect: but in the last 5 meters I stopped to pedal and Valverde passed me for a bunch of millimetres. I expected today the favourite riders to be at the same standard and I have very good feelings about my shape, but in this moment I’m so pissed against myself that I don’t really care. I can only think I lost a stage not because I was weaker, but because I was stupid.’

 

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Giro Mountain Madness

Giro d'ItaliaThe 17th Stage of the Giro d’Italia (May 23) saw something of an extreme mountain battle over the 186km from Falzes to Cortina d’Ampezzo which saw the field stripped back to a handful of lead riders including Ivan Basso (Liquigas), Michele Scarponi (Lampre), Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda), Domenico Pozzovivo (Colnago), Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) and Rigoberto Urán (Sky). Urán ultimately produced one of the most impressive rides of his career fighting his way into the elite six man group on the notorious Passo Giau climb before battling back after being dropped almost in sight of the summit to take fourth place and the white Young Rider’s jersey in the process – a performance that seems him now sitting fifth in the overall standings.

 

Katusha’s Joaquim Rodríguez took the day win in 5h 24′ 41″, with Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) and Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) in second and third respectively on the same times. Going into today’s flat 18th Stage – 149km between San Vito Di Cadore and Vedelago – Rodríguez leads the overall standings with an accumulated time of 74h 46′ 46″.