Rodríguez back to the Tour de France in 2013?

UCI WorldTour leader Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha) is considering making a return to the Tour de France in 2013 after a two-year absence.

Enjoying a season that has included wins at Flèche Wallonne, Giro di Lombardia along with second on general classification at the Giro d'Italia and third overall at the Vuelta a España, ‘Purito' said he believes it might time he shifted his focus to the other grand tour .

Noting the difficulty of the parcours for next year's Giro d'Italia at last weekend's presentation in Milan, Rodríguez is eagerly awaiting the Tour de France presentation scheduled for later this month.

"The Giro is very complicated, the time trial is very long and I'll lose a lot of time on it," he told Russia's R-Sport. "There are six stages over 200 kilometers, including the final in Brescia. I like to race in Italy where I have many fans but I'm waiting for the route of the Tour study my participation, but of course that's if Katusha approves."

The 33-year-old said that to be able to retire having stood on the podium of all three grand tours would be "spectacular" but wearing the yellow jersey is also on his career to do list.

 

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