World road race championship bronze medallist Joaquim Rodriguez wants to make the most of his strong form and will chase victory in one of five prestigious one-day events. Between October 8th and 25th his Caisse d’Epargne team will ride Paris-Bourges, Paris-Tours, Giro del Piemonte, Giro di Lombardia and the Japan Cup, and he wants to triumph. “Any of them would be good, but if I could choose a win, it would be Lombardia, of course.”
He and Russian rider Alexandr Kolobnev were away in the crucial break on Sunday, but were ultimately beaten by Cadel Evans. Still, the response has been great. “I could never imagine that this third place would have as much recognition,” he said. “The World Championship bronze had much more impact than my victory in the Championship of Spain 2008. Since Sunday I have not failed to meet the media, which I do gladly, because we cannot be complaining when they do not remember us and then give out to them when there comes a moment like this.”
Rodriguez had already had a strong year, taking stage wins in Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of Burgos, plus second in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Those results plus – particularly – his bronze medal will see him being honoured by his hometown of Parets del Vallès tomorrow.
Despite the increased attention, he’s remaining focussed. “I trained every day, because I have a month full of races and do not want to lose the pedal stroke,” he said. “I want to see if I can still give some joy to the fans and my team in these latter tests.”
One of his motivating factors is to leave Caisse d’Epargne on a high note. In 2010 he will take up a role with the Katusha team, and feels the transformation will be good for him. “I needed a change and new challenges. I’ve been with Caisse for four years, I’ve grown as a rider. I have always been treated very well and made very good friends. In Katusha I’ll meet old friends, Horrach and Karpets, which will help me integrate into the team. “
The Spring Classics and the Tour de France are the main targets for the Spaniard in 2010.