Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) put a brave face on to cover up his defeat at the Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday. At 36 years old and after three podium finishes at the race, the Catalan rider knows that time is beginning to run out when it comes to winning his favourite Classic.
Asked if the glass was half full or half empty, as he added a third place to his runner-up spots in 2013 and 2009 at La Doyenne, Rodriguez answered categorically, “neither, it’s empty. I’m leaving here empty-handed.
“This is a race I adore and I’ve lost another chance to win it. Third is a good result, and the team worked brilliantly, but I’ve got a sour taste in my mouth right now.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Valverde, he admited, was “very difficult to beat, he himself said he calculated the exact distance and I couldn't do anything there. When I saw that Alejandro got across to [Katusha teammate and late attacker] Dani Moreno, we were back to square one.
“It’s not possible to do everything and it’s easy to be wise after the event.”
Warming to his point about Valverde, he added, “It was almost impossible to beat him today. He had things under control all the way through. In Flèche Wallonne, maybe I didn't attack when I could have done, but when Dani went for it, I thought maybe it could work out. Then when Alejandro got across, we were in the same situation as in Flèche.”
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://ift.tt/1DrAaVE
No comments:
Post a Comment