Can Denis Menchov climb the top podium spot during the Tour de France 2012?
Denis Menchov will settle for nothing less than the top podium position during the Tour de France 2012.
It will be his eleventh attempt at the French Grand Tour, while his previous best performance was the 3rd place finish during the 2011 edition of the race.
Menchov is all set to start his 13th professional season, his first with the Russian Team Katusha.
He started riding professionally with Team Banesto and also represented Team Rabobank and Team Geox-TMC previously.
The 34-year-old holds as many as 19 Grand Tour appearances under his belt, three Giro d’ Italia, ten Tour de France and six Vuelta a Espana participations to his name.
He won the 2009 edition of the Giro d’ Italia and also succeeded at the Vuelta a Espana 2005 and 2007.
The Russian’s best performance during the French Grand Tour was back in 2010 when he finished third behind Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck.
He is eager to claim the top podium spot during the Tour de France 2012.
Denis told the media, "In my 10 years with Gerolsteiner we never had a Tour winner so if Menchov wins in my first year with Katusha, I promise to walk all the way from Paris to Moscow".
He was disappointed after Team Geox-TMC failed to receive the wild card entry for the Tour de France 2011 but fully participated in the televised version of the race.
"I had a chance to watch the race from the outside, analyse it. It has given me a different perspective on the race. Not being part of the Tour last year definitely made me more determined to try to win it," Menchov shared.
Menchov had a terrific 2011 season with his third place finish at the Vuelta a Murcia, followed by the 8th overall finish at the Spanish Grand Tour.
He also claimed the 5th position at the Vuelta a Espana and the Tour of Austria 2011.
Denis believed that his strength is time trialling and he has also learnt the technique to pace the race during the climbs.
With over a hundred kilometres against the clock, the cyclist is definitely a hot favourite for the coming edition of the Tour de France 2012.
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