Joaquim Rodriguez declares Alberto Contador as a favourite for the Vuelta a Espana
Joaquim Rodriguez rode brilliantly during the first Grand Tour race of the season, the Giro d’Italia and was looking good for an overall victory at the race.
The Spaniard succeeded during the tenth and the seventeenth stages of the race and also grabbed the first overall position at the point’s classifications.
He fell sixteen seconds short of the race leader Ryder Hesjedal and had to settle for the second spot after the final overall classifications.
EFE quoted Rodriguez as saying, “Once you cross the finish line, you can’t look back”.
“16 seconds is nothing and at the same time, it’s everything”.
“Perhaps I made an error at Pampeago in leaving the responsibility to [Ivan] Basso and not going with Ryder”.
Joaquim is now eying the Giro d’Italia as the next big goal of his 2012 season and will be a big absentee at the Criterium du Dauphine 2012.
Vuelta a Espana will mark the return of Alberto Contador and Rodriguez has already declared Team Saxo Bank’s cyclist as a clear favourite for the race.
“Alberto will be the clear favourite and it will be very difficult to beat him because he is very complete,” he said.
“There are a lot of riders for the GC and Alberto will have a lot of responsibility”.
Contador was banned from professional cycling for a period of two years.
He was accused of using performance enhancing drug, clenbuterol during the Tour de France 2010 and the decision was made against him in February 2012.
Alberto has also been disqualified from all the victories since the Tour de France 2010 and the jury also prohibited him from riding at the top level of sport until August 5, 2012.
While commenting on the 2012 Olympic Games, Joaquim cited that the track does not suit his abilities and he is not very keen to ride the London event.
Alberto Contador, Alejandro Valverde and Samuel Sanchez are the top three Spanish cyclists eager to represent their nation at the coming event.
It will be interesting to see if Joaquim continues his winning momentum at the Vuelta a Espana 2012 scheduled from August 18 to September 9, 2012.
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