José Joaquín Rojas (Caisse d’Epargne) is already busy training hard for the upcoming season. After two podium finishes in the Tour down Under, he finally wants to win the season opener, run in 20910 from January 19 to 24 (the opening Cancer Council Helpline Classic on January 17 does not count towards the overall).
"Since the first year I had been to Australia, I imagined that one year I could win this race, because it is impressive. And after finishing in third place overall for two years in a row, I think this season I can knock it off. I hope to have no setback and that I arrive there in the best form to win it. My courage certainly isn't lacking," Rojas said.
Rojas wants to show "the whole world to what I am capable off." His plan is also to lay some foundation for the upcoming season. "I want to show my team that it can really rely on me." He is aware that as a sprinter he owes it all to his teammates and needs to repay the trust.
The sprinter wants to give his Spanish team the first victory of the season. "This would really make me calm," he said.
As for the season that just ended, Rojas was quite pleased with it. "After an awful start, due to the injuries and the problems I had with vertigo, I stepped it up and was able to make the Tour team. There, I was able to demonstrate to keep up with the best, even without adequate preparation." He was especially proud of his third place into Barcelona, behind Thor Hushovd and Oscar Freire.
While he was unable to win a stage, his consistent high finishes allowed him fourth place in the points classification at the end of the Tour de France.