Pinpointing victory in Liège-Bastogne-Liège as his big target for 2012, Catalan rider Joaquim Rodriguez wants to finally step up after previous close calls and land a major one day success.
“I was second in all three: Amstel, Fleche and Liège,” he said, referring to the three Ardennes Classics. “Oddly enough, when I became a professional I was a specialist in one day races, not tours. I was very quick and I did well.
“That's still in me, hence the dream of winning the Liege, which is the one I like best. If I could, I would put the second and third places in a bag and exchange them for a win in Liège,” he told Marca.
Rodriguez will be his team’s main hope in the Ardennes Classics and several other events, although he will share top billing status with new signing Denis Menchov. Fortunately there is no chance of a clash of ambition as the two riders will target different goals and ride completely different races in the first half of the season.
The Russian will begin with the Vuelta a Andalucia and then go on to compete in Paris-Nice, the Vuelta a Catalunya, the Circuit de la Sarthe, the Tour de Romandie and the Critérium du Dauphiné, then tackle his big goal of winning the Tour de France.
Rodriguez will do some of the Challenge Mallorca races and then the Tour of Oman, returning to Europe afterwards for Tirreno-Adriatico, the Volta a Catalunya, the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, the Ardennes Classics and the Giro d’Italia. The only place where he and Menchov might meet is at the Criterium du Dauphiné, which he states he could ride if he feels good after the Giro.
Of those, he lists Tirreno-Adriatico as his first goal. He believes the race will return to the wall-like Montelupone, where he won stages in 2008 and 2009. The Ardennes Classics will be a bigger target, then Rodriguez pinpoints the Giro d’Italia as a major objective.
“I'll go with the intention of doing my best, because the course suits me very well,” he said. “Afterwards, I hate to skip the Tour again, but there are too many time trials for me. Instead I will prepare for the Vuelta, which goes to the Coll de la Gallina, here in Andorra…I know it well.
“The Vuelta has given me a lot, but I am frustrated with the two crashes I suffered this year and which left me too far back in the general classification.”
He finished nineteenth there and wants to do much better in 2012.
An explosive climber and fast sprinter, Rodriguez is a rider in the mould of Alejandro Valverde, Danilo di Luca, Paolo Bettini and Davide Rebellin; very strong in the short, steep climbs of the Ardennes Classics and other such hills. Those abilities have brought him those runner-up slots in Liège, Amstel and Fleche Wallonne, and also saw him beat Alberto Contador for a stage win in the 2010 Tour de France at Mende.
He’s hoping that the same abilities could also prove very beneficial to his chances in the 2012 world road race championships in Limburg. Having already finished third in Mendrisio in 2009, that race result is another he wants to improve on in 2012.
“It will run along the route of the Amstel, with several passes over the Cauberg,” Rodriguez explained, thinking forward to the September 23rd clash.
Knowing the route and how it confirms to his riding style, he’s clear on what it offers: “There will be opportunity to fight for the medals.”