Believes second in Giro was possible had he not lost time on stage five
Following his stage win and seventh overall in the Giro d’Italia, José Rujano has said that he wants to extend his contract with the Androni Giocattoli squad, remaining within the fold in the years ahead.
The 29 year old will this week meet general manager Gianni Savio to talk about the renewal. He’s clear that he feels satisfied with the team. “I hope to sign two or three years,” he said to the Líder newspaper.
Savio recently told VeloNation that he was convinced that a big part of Rujano’s return to form is due to his moving back to the team. While racing with the setup back in 2005, the rider finished third overall in the race, as well as taking a stage and winning both the mountains and combativity classifications. Now, back in the squad, he is once again riding at a high level.
“We know Jose Rujano very well…when he was in other teams, he lost something,” Savio told VeloNation in a video interview recorded at the Giro d’Italia. “I think that with us, he is well and also I think that he now has another mentality. He also has other men who follow him; his manager is a friend of mine, and I think that now he has the right equilibrium.”
Rujano ended the race twelve minutes 12 seconds behind Contador, and six minutes two seconds away from the runner-up slot of Michele Scarponi (Lampre – ISD). He lost five minutes eight seconds to the other contenders on stage five over the Strade Bianche, and believes that things would otherwise have turned out very different. “If I had not lost time that day, the second place on the podium would definitely have been mine,” he insisted.
“I’m very happy with my progress. I never went to seek the mountain [jersey] but I came close to winning,” he said. “I tried to do my best without looking for more than the top 10, and I succeeded. From now I’ll get ready for the Giro next year.”
The team hasn’t gained wildcards for either the Tour de France nor the Vuelta a España, Rujano will head back to Venzuela soon to compete in the national tour there. It runs from July 13 to 24, and he is aiming to repeat his win of two years ago.
He confirmed that he hoped to speak to the country’s president Hugo Chávez about potential sponsorship for the team from next year.