Joaquim Rodriguez to race Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana

Spain's Joaquím Rodríguez (Katusha) will race the Tour de France and Vuelta a España in 2015 after a 2014 season that saw him break his ribs and finger.

"I like [the Tour route] a lot, but it is also very dangerous," Rodríguez told Spain's AS newspaper. "If nothing happens to me, I'll be there. Surely it will be a Tour for climbers. I couldn't have organised it better, because it is hard and has little time trials. I think they even have done me a favour."

The Tour in July features 42 kilometres of time trials for its 2015 edition, a 14-kilometre individual time trial on day one and a 28-kilometre team time trial. The Giro d'Italia in May includes an usually long 59.2-kilometre individual time trial in stage 14 and a 17.6-kilometre opening team time trial.

"I'd thought about the Giro/Vuelta [for 2015], but with a Tour route like this, it's better to race the Tour and the Vuelta," Rodríguez added.

"The early season will be much like [2014]. After the Liège-Bastogne-Liège, I will rest and then re-start with the Dauphiné or Switzerland, I still have not decided. In February or March, I'll train in Teide, which is the only place you can train well in those days."

The 35-year-old from Barcelona finished on the Tour’s podium in third place behind Sky's Chris Froome in 2013. In 2014, he placed 54th after a tough spring that included a crash in the Amstel Gold Race with two broken ribs and another in the Giro d'Italia with a rib and finger fracture.

'Purito' at least won a stage and overall at home in the Tour of Catalunya in March. The autonomous region made the news this week when its citizens voted for independence from Spain in an informal poll. The crash in Amstel set him back, but he used the Tour to return in form for the Vuelta, where he finished fourth place overall behind Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo).

"I was hoping to do it even better, but the level of the Vuelta was very high with Nairo Quintana, Froome, [Alejandro] Valverde and company. I came out pretty well. It was one of the most favourable times of year for me," Rodríguez said.

"[I'll face 2015] with the same enthusiasm as always. I repeat that 2014 was not a bad year in terms of the work that I put in and the feeling I had, but I missed some power. I spent it when I didn't need to and didn't have it at other times. I wouldn't change anything about my training, I'm not going to reinvent now."

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