By Shane Stokes in Ponferrada
Following Robbie McEwen's elimination on stage 5, Fred Rodriguez is now Davitamon-Lotto's fast man in the sprint. He's normally the lead-out for the Australian, but he's hoping to land a stage win before the end of the Vuelta.
"It was actually our intention from the start that I would be the sprinter later on in the race," he told Cyclingnews at the start of stage 7 in Léon. "Robbie was only going to be here for the first week. We gave it our best shot but came out every day a little bit short due to tactical errors. Robbie was feeling okay, I was doing some good leadouts but it doesn't always work out how you want it.
"His form was in top shape for the Tour. Here it was probably a little bit less but Robbie is still the best guy in the world. I think he had a good chance of winning the first stage we sprinted for, but we miscalculated it by about 50 metres. If I had left him 50 metres later he probably would have had it. Little things like that make such a big difference in the sprint. Of course, if he had the legs he had at the Tour, I think he probably would have won even with those little mistakes. But it has been three Grand Tours for him this year, it is a lot.
"Anyway, now it is my turn to give it a shot. I am going to go out there and see what I can do. I have good legs, I have had good performances here in the past, taking second behind Petacchi. I want to better that, get a stage win. There are plenty of stages ahead to do that."
"Missing the race in place of the Vuelta is a bit of a bittersweet feeling," he said. "Especially with the form I have going right now, I think I would have a good chance. That said, things have changed this year, it is a little bit different. It is not what I would have preferred for a road race, because it is going to be out of control. It is going to be a little like the last Olympic trials, a free for all. George [Hincapie] wants to do well there with it being in Greenville but he is going to have a hard time controlling the field."
Following the end of the Vuelta, Fast Freddie will head to Austria to ride the world road race championships. He'll most likely fulfil a team role there, although if the course is easier than people are saying, he will try for a result.
"I am going to do the worlds in support of Chris Horner. He is the main guy, I think the course is a little bit hard for me. Okay, with Boonen and Freire going, if they are there at the end then there is a good chance I might be there, but I think the course is a little bit too tough. In that case, I will be supporting Chris."
