Spanish star Joaquim Rodriguez has decided to continue with his original plan to retire from professional cycling at the end of 2016, having been temporarily enticed back to racing with team Bahrain-Merida.

The 37-year-old classics and grand tour star announced he would end his professional career after the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro after 16 years as a pro – the last seven with team Katusha.

However, he said that he was not happy with how his racing career had ended and signed a contract with new Bahrain-Merida team through 2019. His plan was to race and then transfer later to the team's support staff.

"After taking enough time to think and also trying to come back to a working routine, I realised it was not possible for me," he said. "So with the support of my family and friends, I decided not to come back to the competition at the highest of levels.

>>> Joaquim Rodriguez: ‘I’m not happy with how it ended’

"I realised, speaking with them, that I am not prepared physically and mentally, for a 100 per cent comeback. I wanted to announce this before the start of the new season, because the riders are the protagonists and they deserve the full attention."

The small, punchy Catalan counts nine stage wins in the Vuelta a España and three in the Tour de France. He placed top three in all three grand tours, but never won one. In the 2012 Giro, Ryder Hesjedal overtook him in the final day's time trial.

He also excelled in one-day races. He won Flèche Wallonne and Il Lombardia twice.

Instead of racing, Rodriguez will take a director/mentor role in Bahrain-Merida, which has signed grand tour star Vincenzo Nibali. The new team said that he will start by working with its young talents. He will also take an ambassador roles with Merida bicycles and Bahrain.

"We support 'Purito' with this difficult decision, we know how hard it is for a professional cyclist to end his racing career and we wanted to give him the opportunity to end his career with our team," General Manager Brent Copeland said.

"We left the final decision up to him and wanted him to be free with what he best decided. As we have said before the first contact with Joaquim was made with the intention of him working with the technical staff of the team so we are pleased that he has decided to continue in this direction."

Rodriguez brought valuable points to the new team during its push for a WorldTour licence. Without Rodríguez, it should have received a licence regardless, but with him, it stood first in line ahead of Bora-Hansgrohe with world champion Peter Sagan.

Joaquím Rodríguez has won the Flèche Wallonne, Il Lombardia twice and stages in the Tour de France, but he says that he decided to cancel his retirement plans because he was not happy with how his movie had ended.

The Rodríguez sequel continues with him with team Bahrain-Merida after seven years in Katusha's red colours. This week, the team led by manager Brent Copeland is meeting in Croatia.

"If I close my eyes and think about how this year ended, I'm not happy," Rodríguez told Tutto Bici. "It was not how I had imagined the movie would end. I wasn't happy with it.”

The 37-year-old counts nine stage wins in the Vuelta a España and three in the Tour de France. He's stepped on the final podium in all three grand tours, but never as the winner.

In the 2012 Giro d'Italia, Ryder Hesjedal overtook him in the final day's time trial.

The small punchy Catalan pulled the plug after the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, where he placed fifth in the road race after a season that included seventh in the Tour. Katusha, however, pushed him to continue in three Italian one-day classics – he recorded a DNF in each one.

"I was convinced that the moment arrived to say basta with racing, instead the last races didn't go how I wanted them to and there was some misunderstanding with the team," Rodríguez added.

"I'd won Lombardia two times and I wasn't able to make a difference this year. Instead, I want to go out like Cancellara, in good form and in a big race."

Bahrain will become the Middle East's first top team with Italian grand tour star Vincenzo Nibali at the helm. Rodríguez would add fire power to the Ardennes Classics and could race in the grand tours, as well.

"Before making me an offer, the team asked me what I wanted to do," Rodríguez continued. "They were interested in me. I felt valued."

He and the team will write their schedule this week in Croatia. During the season, Rodríguez is expected to slowly transition from rider to mentor. His contract runs until 2019.

"To stay at home after a lifetime on the road around the world is complicated," he said.

"To just watch a race as a fan seems absurd. In other words, I still felt like a cyclist. I was convinced on quitting, but in a month and a half everything changed."

The UCI reportedly could accept 18 teams now for the 2017 WorldTour instead of cutting the number to 17, as the governing body had said it would.

It had come under too much fire from the teams for wanting to leave out Bahrain-Merida, Bora-Hansgrohe (with Peter Sagan) or Dimension Data (with Mark Cavendish).

The decision was due to be made on points. Bora had sat above Bahrain and in last, Dimension Data. Bahrain, though, wanted to be sure of a WorldTour licence, Cycling Weekly understands. It jumped ahead of Bora and to the top of the candidate teams when it signed Rodríguez.

Just three months after announcing his impending retirement from the sport, Joaquim Rodriguez has decided to return to cycling in 2017 by joining the new Bahrain-Merida project.

Announcing his decision on Twitter, the 37-year-old Spaniard said the prospect of joining the new team was "impossible to resist".

Rodriguez's contract with Katusha expires at the end of the season and the veteran had planned to hang up his wheels after the Olympic Games road race. His team had other ideas, though, selecting him for three Italian Classics, including Il Lombardia.

The five-time Grand Tour podium finisher will join Vincenzo Nibali at the new Bahrain team, with his accumulation of WorldTour points from the 2016 season presumably helping the squad in their pursuit of a WorldTour licence in 2017.

This season, however, marked the first since 2002 in which Purito failed to win a race, with fourth place in the Clasica San Sebastian his best result. He also finished seventh at the Tour de France, fifth in the Olympic Games road race and eighth in Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Reports suggest that Rodriguez will ride for Bahrain-Merida for one season and continue in a technical role in 2017 and 2018. Team manager Brent Copeland previously told Cycling Weekly that rumours of Rodriguez's signing were untrue.

Spaniard Joaquim Rodriguez will not join Bahrain-Merida, says the team. It is all rumours, but the team did confirm their interest in Ion Izaguirre, who has a massive 270 WorldTour points and is set to leave his current team Movistar one year early.

Rodriguez's agent said that his rider may decide not to retire after 16 successful years as a professional and that he may join one of a few teams for 2017, including new Middle East team Bahrain-Merida.

"The way things are going maybe we'll sign up Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins. There's your new rumour!" General Manager Brent Copeland told Cycling Weekly with a laugh.

"I heard that we are taking Igor Anton, Rodriguez, Filippo Ganna, so many names! I don't know where it all comes from. There is no truth to any of the rumours besides Izaguirre. We have some bureaucratic documents to go through because he has a contract for next year, so we are still discussing it. Its not 100 per cent but it's looking good."

>>> Joaquim Rodriguez announces retirement from cycling on first Tour de France rest day

Rodriguez has 211 WorldTour points. Izaguirre has a massive 270 points and sits 10th in the WorldTour ranking. He is currently in contract with Movistar for 2017, but his agent also told Cycling Weekly that they are negotiating their way out of it.

Teams applying for a WorldTour licence must submit 15 of their riders’ contracts to the UCI's licence commission by 20 October. The commission will take into consideration the five top riders when weighing up the team's points and the sporting criterion for a licence.

Based on the current standings, teams Dimension Data, Giant-Alpecin, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain-Merida may be fighting for three available WorldTour spots. If the UCI keeps the WorldTour teams at 18, instead of going to 17, the battle may come to nothing.

"Our five? It depends on Izaguirre. But it would be Izaguirre, Vincenzo Nibali, Heinrich Haussler, Enrico Gasparotto and Sonny Colbrelli. Colbrelli doesn't have many points but he has some from his third place at the Amstel Gold Race," Copeland added.

>>> Vincenzo Nibali confirmed to join Bahrain-Merida for 2017

"Right now, to buy a rider with more points than 70 would cost a fortune because the way I understand it most of those riders are wrapped up in contracts. Maybe I'm missing someone, but I think everyone that has those points are signed up."

Copeland wants to continue to work with Louis Meintjes, also from South Africa. Meintjes rode the last year in Lampre-Merida and this July, placed eighth overall in the Tour de France behind Froome.

Copeland left the team in August to help start the new Bahraini team. He wants Meintjes to folow, but with the Lampre’s new Chinese sponsor TJ Sport, Meintjes may have to stay put.

"We are obviously interested in Louis Meintjes, but I know that he is still dealing with Lampre. I know he would like to stay in the team that I am managing, and I would love him to be in our team," said Copeland. "But even he doesn't have a huge amount of points, it's around 85. It's more because we like him as a rider."

The plan was to hang up his wheels after the Olympic Games road race in August, but Joaquim Rodriguez may have to suit up and race again for Katusha this season.

While the Spaniard had hoped for an early farewell, Katusha seem determined to make the most of his services, with his contract expiring on December 31.

As such, Rodriguez has been lined up for four more races this season, including the Giro di Lombardia - a race he won in successive years in 2012 and 13.

"If the team requires me to participate in the remaining races on the calendar, I have no choice but to get back on the bike and participate, whether I like it or not. We'll see," Rodriguez told AFP.

"The decision I took was to stop cycling after the Olympic Games, but my contract with Team Katusha is until December 31st."

As well as the year's final Monument, Rodriguez is scheduled to ride Milano-Torino, the Giro del Piemonte and the season-ending Abu Dhabi Tour.

The world's top cyclists are used to being put through the wringer, but even they seemed shocked the Olympic road race, in which only 65 of the day's 144 starters made it to the finish.

The 237.5km course had been touted as the most difficult in Olympic history, and it certainly lived to the hype.

Numerous crashes caused many riders to retire, including Vincenzo Nibali (Italy) and Sergio Henao (Colombia), both of whom seemed in good positions to claim a medal. Britain's Geraint Thomas also crashed out of contention but finished the race.

Instead, Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium), Jakob Fuglsang (Denmark) and Rafal Majka (Poland) formed a three-man group racing for the win, with the Belgian coming out on top to claim gold.

For those without the salve of a medal, however, the race was a painful experience.

"It was the most difficult day on the bike I've had in my career," said Ireland's Dan Martin, who finished 13th, 2-58 behind Van Avermaet. "It was just a brutal, brutal day.

"I was hoping to race for the medals, but I wasn't on a super, super day. I was still in contention until the end, so I have to be satisfied. I just lacked that little bit on the final climb. It was a strange old race."

Watch our guide to the road race and time trial

A day packed with incident was at time difficult to follow even for spectators, so it was no wonder that the participants found it challenging.

"It was anarchy out there," said Brent Bookwalter (USA), who finished 16th. "Everything happened. People crashing, flatting, getting gapped out in the wind. It was a very hard day."

Although medals are awarded to individuals, team-members still work to support their leaders. For Michal Kwiatkowski, the aim was to get his Polish teammate Majka into a strong position. He finished 62nd, but his team leader claimed bronze.

"The cramps were bad," said Kwiatkowski of the long break he was involved in. "I was done. But that was always the plan, actually, for me to get ahead and work for Rafa. So it was good – I was able to do some good work for him, and I think that helped in the end."

>>> Latest Olympic news and analysis

There is something special about the Olympics, of course, and Joaquim Rodriguez (Spain), in his final season as a pro, was happy just to be involved.

"It was a hard, complicated race," he said. "I gave it my all. I would have liked to have a medal, but to leave the Olympics after such a fantastic day of racing leaves me with a sweet taste."

Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) has announced that he will retire from professional cycling at the end of the present season.

Purito made the emotional statement to journalists on the first rest day of the 2016 Tour de France in Andorra, where he lives.

The 37-year-old is in his 16th season as a professional cyclist. He presently sits fifth on the general classification at the Tour de France, 37 seconds behind the yellow jersey of Chris Froome (Team Sky).

A podium finish is within his ability, but over the years he has been something of a nearly man; most notably when he finished second at the 2012 Giro d'Italia behind Ryder Hesjedal.

Purito held the overall lead from stage nine until stage 19 (bar one stage in the middle), only losing on the final stage time trial to finish just 16 seconds behind the Canadian overall.

The Spaniard boasts stage wins in all three Grand Tours but could never get to the top step of the podium in the final classification.

Video is in Spanish

Rodriguez said, "2016 will be my last season as a professional rider. I still enjoy this sport so much but I am 37 years old. One day I will have to stop anyway and I prefer to do this when I am still riding at a high level.

"I spoke about this already last year with my family. 2016 is a special year with the Tour de France coming to my Andorra," he contined.

"There are also the Olympic Games in Rio on a course that suits me very well. The most important reason to stop however is my family. They deserve to have me more with them. They always supported me. Now it’s my turn to support them."

He went on to say he wouldn't now just sit back and ride out the season: "I will give my maximum like I did my whole career. I would be happy to finish my Tour career in the top ten, but of course I still dream of another overall podium in Paris.

"The support I got yesterday on the Pyrenees roads helps me to go on till my last day in cycling. For the moment I have no idea what will be my last race. In theory Rio and Tour of Spain are still on my programme."

Purito looked back at his long career in his statement including two victories at the Tour of Lombardy and a Spanish national championships win.

"I have so many memories. Now I think of my super year 2012 with Il Lombardia in the pouring rain but also I think of my silver medal at the 2013 World Championships. Not to have won there still hurts but that’s cycling."

Over such a long career he's seen the sport change, something he touched on in his comments. "In those 17 years I lived so many things in cycling. The sport of 2016 has nothing to do anymore with cycling in 2000 when I started. I saw so many things and so many good riders, from Johan Museeuw to Nairo Quintana."

Despite never winning a Grand Tour he has a palmarès in the biggest races that many would love to finish their career with.

Rodriguez finished second overall in the Vuelta a España in 2015 and second there in 2012. He counts two other Grand Tour podium places in his career: third in the Tour de France (2013), second in the Giro d'Italia (2012).

The Favourites

Alejandro Valvede

The Flèche Wallone IS Alejandro Valverde's race. He's won it each of the last two years and three times in total in his stellar career.

He's just really mastered that sprint up the Mur de Huy, which is, let's face it, the only crucial part of the race. Should he time his 100m sprint to perfection again he will eclipse the likes of Eddy Merckx and Moreno Argentin by taking the record for the most wins at the race.

He skipped the Amstel Gold Race and remains very focussed on the Giro d'Italia, but we know that Valverde is an incredible competitor, so won't just be using this as a training ride.

Joaquim Rodriguez

Fellow Spaniard Joaquim Rodriguez, is almost as familiar with the Mur de Huy as Valverde is, having won Flèche back in 2012. Purito also claimed victory on stage three of the 2015 Tour de France that finished in Huy.

He may be advancing in years, but the wins he claimed last year at the Tour and Vuelta à España shows there's a fair bit left in his legs, especially for a race such as La Flèche Wallonne.

Dan Martin

Dan Martin finished fourth in the Tour stage to Huy last year and finished second in Flèche in 2014 so is certainly a threat on Wednesday.

He is, however, now part of a very strong Etixx-Quick Step squad which could see him fighting with two or three teammates for the leadership.

Etixx's system of multiple leaders hasn't worked too well so far in the Classics and unlike at Cannondale, Martin won't have a full quota of support riders to get him to the final climb safely.

Michael Albasini

With six top-10 finishes to his name, Michael Albasini (Orica-GreenEdge) seems to like this race but he's never managed to stand on the top step.

His form hasn't been great at the start of the season, but if recent years are anything to go by that's not a sign that he won't perform at Flèche.

For the last few seasons it's this race that catapults the Swiss rider into a run of races in his home land, most importantly the Tour de Romandie and Tour de Suisse.

Albasini's got a powerful final punch, so a challenge up the Mur de Huy is very much expected of him.

Sergio Henao

In 2013, Sergio Henao provided Team Sky with their best ever Ardennes result, coming second to Dani Moreno on the Mur de Huy.

This season, with a few more years of experience under his belt, he could well go one better and claim the win.

He's had a great season so far, finishing third at the Tour Down Under, helping Geraint Thomas to victory at Paris-Nice while finishing sixth himself and ending runner up to Alberto Contador in the Basque Country.

Julian Alaphilippe

We didn't know what kind of form Julian Alaphilippe would be in heading into the Ardennes week, but sixth place at Amstel Gold shows us he's in a pretty good place.

Last year the young Frenchman surprised many fans by providing the best challenge to Valverde on the final climb and marked himself down as an Ardennes winner of the future.

His illness over the winter could have robbed him of the preparation and fitness he needs at this point to win on Wednesday, but talent and guts alone could see him claim another podium place.

The Wildcards

Enrico Gasparotto

He's won the Amstel Gold twice in his career but Enrico Gasparotto has never really done anything of note at the Flèche Wallonne.

But his win and attack up the Cauberg on Sunday could give the Italian the impetus he needs to finally crack the top 10 in this race.

He'll still be on top of the world and it's amazing what confidence can do to a rider in these one-day races.

Samuel Sanchez

It's a pretty wild wildcard, but Sami Sanchez could be BMC's best chance of the win on Wednesday, with Philippe Gilbert not at his best.

Gilbert struggled to 81st with a broken finger at Amstel Gold, so the boys in black and red could be looking for someone else to pin their hopes on.

Like Valverde and Rodriguez, Sanchez is getting on a bit. And like Valverde and Rodriguez, Sanchez is Spanish, which has been one of the pre-requisites for success in this race for the last four seasons.

He picked up his first win in three years in the Basque Country when the stage had a little punch up to the finish, so why not put a couple of quid on him here?

Simon Yates

Albasini is the man for Orica-GreenEdge this year, but Simon Yates is certainly one of the men for the future in the Australian team.

He'll be joined by his brother Adam on the start line - who could equally put up a good fight on Wednesday - and will be looking to build on his eighth place finish on the Mur de Huy at the Tour de France.

While there were obviously different priorities during the Tour, Yates finished before the likes of Valverde and Bauke Mollema on stage three so is no mug when it comes to short, sharp finishes.

Dani Moreno

I may have been one race too early on my Dani Moreno prediction, but as a former winner of the Flèche Wallonne, the Spaniard can justifiably be thought of as one of the favourites.

His main job of the day will be to get Valverde to the bottom of the Mur de Huy safely for the third and final ascent, but if Moreno is still feeling it when he gets there he could well accompany his fellow Spaniard all the way to the line.

There would probably be a few angry words if Moreno beat Valverde to the line, but it would be great to see.

He may be turning 37 next May, but Joaquim Rodriguez is showing no signs of slowing down.

The Katusha rider, who won three Grand Tour stages and finished second overall at the Vuelta a España in 2015, is preparing for his 17th season as a professional and has already set out his big goals.

A challenging Tour de France route and a crack at Olympic Games are the two main aims of Purito's season - a year that he believes is attractive for climbers.

"Next season is an attractive year, which motivates me a lot," Rodriguez told Spanish newspaper AS. "There is the very tough Olympic Games and we have seen recently that the Tour de France route will also be demanding.

"I think with the 2016 [Tour] profile, climbers have sufficient incentives to be highly motivated.

"Those are two are my goals, which practically rules out the Giro d'Italia. The Vuelta remains to be seen, because it will be difficult after the Tour and I want to prepare for the Olympics...we'll see."

Rodriguez may be in the twilight of his career, but he remains a major force in both stage races and the Classics, claiming top-fives in both La Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege in 2015.

But the Spaniard isn't ready to hang up his wheels just yet, claiming that he hasn't thought about when he'll retire.

"I'll be [at Katusha] until they kick me out."

Alejandro Valverde courted a little controversy on stage 21 of the Vuelta a España on Sunday by winning the intermediate sprint to snatch the points jersey while the incumbent, Joaquim Rodriguez, suffered with a puncture.

The pair will line up together for Spain in the UCI World Championships road race in Richmond on September 27 and team manager Javier Minguez insists the incident will not be an issue.

Protocol usually dictates that attacks are not made on the final stage of a Grand Tour, with the ride to the finish line virtually a procession, but Valverde threw caution to the wind by launching his sprint for points victory.

“I'm not worried. When on the circuit they will only think of the race,” Minguez told as.com.

Valverde will be joined by three Movistar teammates in the 259.2km race in Virginia, with Ion Izagirre, Imanol Erviti and Juan Jose Lobato making the cut for the squad. Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana), Ruben Plaza (Lampre-Merida) and Luis Mas (Caja Rural) round out the nine-man team.

Sanchez will first ride the individual time trial along with Jonathan Castroviejo (Movistar).

The smiles at the Astana team bus were as wide as if they had won the stage today in the Vuelta a España.

Team leader Fabio Aru warmed down on his bike, grinning between sips from his water bottle, after he rode the time trial of his life at Burgos to keep this pulsating Grand Tour in the balance.

Around him, the team said again and again, "Tre secondi [three seconds]". Aru had achieved what most thought had thought was impossible — he had stayed within touching distance of time trial specialist Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin), and this race was still very much alive with only four stages to go.

As predicted, Dumoulin won the stage and overtook both Aru and this morning's leader, Joaquím Rodríguez (Katusha). Surprisingly, however, his lead over Aru stands at just three seconds.

Watch Cycling Weekly's guide to the 2015 Vuelta

Aru finished 10th on the 38.7-kilometre stage at 1-53 minutes, enough to keep dreaming of the Vuelta overall title when the three-week tour ends in Madrid on Sunday.

"I'm happy with the ride. I can't be completely happy because I'm never happy when I'm not in the lead, but it's not bad," Aru said.

He looked down at his bike to his right and briefly ahead when answering. When he did, his grin was visible.

"When I finished and I saw was in second, I felt it was a good time trial. At three seconds is not bad at all."

Aru won some of the biggest amateur stage races before turning professional, including the Giro della Valle d'Aosta twice. As a pro, he progressed to place third in the Giro d'Italia last year and second this May to Alberto Contador.

His time trial abilities were always lacking, however. So much so, the team sent him to California this winter to work on his time trailing in a wind tunnel with bike sponsor Specialized.

"I worked a lot on my time trialling," he added. "What I did at the Giro [3-01 behind winner Vasil Kiryienka (Sky)] is not a good comparison because I was feeling bad in the days beforehand.

"At the Tour of Poland, I rode a good time trial. I'm not a time trial rider, but I need to be able to save myself in them. I've been working on it."

Aru comes across as shy even in good moments. He tried to end the conversation early twice, succeeding on the second time and escaping to the safety of Astana's turquoise bus.

The two big days ahead, tomorrow and Saturday, both include climbs to 1750-1800 metres before a descent to the finish. In theory, to win the Vuelta, Aru only needs to drop less gifted climber Dumoulin and hold any advantage on the descent to the finish line.

"That makes it sound so easy," he said getting off his bike and heading to the door of the bus — but today's performance proves Aru's determination to win a race that is now too close to call.

Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin) grabbed the Vuelta a España leader's jersey with both hands after an emphatic performance in the stage 17 time trial, winning by over a minute over Maciej Bodnar.

The Dutchman crossed the line in 46-01, with Fabio Aru (Astana) putting in the performance of his life to finish just 1-54 down and trail by three seconds in the overall standings

Tinkoff-Saxo's Bodnar was in the leader's hotseat for much of the day, having been the 18th rider to roll down the ramp at 13:51 local time.

Bodnar's teammate and fellow Pole Rafal Majka was thought to be a threat to take the leader's jersey on the stage, but at the first checkpoint he even trailed Esteban Chaves (Orica-GreenEdge) - not known for his time trialling.

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) put in a phenomenal ride over the 38.7km course, coming home just four seconds down on Bodnar. Seconds later, though, Dumoulin stamped his authority on the course once more, passing the second checkpoint 38 seconds faster than Bodnar.

Aru, meanwhile, passed the checkpoint 1-44 down on Dumoulin, with Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) struggling further back down the road - his red jersey quickly slipping off his back as he crossed the second marker 2-38 down on the Dutchman.

Nairo Quintana (Movistar) showed his progress against the clock by crossing the line just 30 seconds back on his teammate, Valverde.

Dumoulin thundered across the line as his rivals lost more time out on the course. The Giant-Alpecin rider's time came and went for Majka with the Pole still several kilometres from the finish line.

Aru, though, gave up just 1-54 to Dumoulin, seeing him sitting just three seconds back on the Dutchman, surely leaving him the favourite to take the overall title in Madrid on Sunday.

Red jersey holder on the day, Rodriguez, saw his hopes fade away - finishing over three minutes down on Dumoulin, which sees him now sitting 1-15 down.

Vuelta a España stage 17, Burgos-Burgos (38.7km)

1. Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Giant-Alpecin, 46-01

2. Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo, at 1-04

3. Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar, at 1-08

4. Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Team Sky, at 1-31

5. Jerome Coppel (Fra) IAM Cycling, at 1-32

6. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar, at 1-33

7. Romain Sicard (Fra) Europcar, at 1-36

8. Nelson Oliveira (Por) Lampre-Merida, at 1-38

9. Steve Cummings (GBr) MTN-Qhubeka, at 1-40

10. Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana, at 1-54

Selected others

12. Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky, at 2-28

17. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo, at 2-38

30. Joaquim Rodriguez (Esp) Katusha, at 3-06

Overall standings after 17 stages

1. Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Giant-Alpecin, 68-40-36

2. Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana, at 3s

3. Joaquim Rodriguez (Esp) Katusha, at 1-15

4. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo, at 2-22

5. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar, at 2-53

6. Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar, at 3-15

7. Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica-GreenEdge, at 3-30

8. Dani Moreno (Esp) Katusha, at 3-46

9. Mikel Nieve (Esp) Astana, at 4-10

10. Louis Meintjes (RSA) MTN-Qhubeka, at 6-10

Alejandro Valverde and Joaquim Rodriguez are among the 14 names on the longlist for the Spain squad ahead of the World Championships in Richmond, Virginia.

Valverde is one of seven riders from the Movistar squad to make the list, while Rodriguez's Katusha boast three of the others.

There is no place for Astana's Mikel Landa, however, or Alberto Contador, who ended his season after the Tour de France.

Spain's riches in the WorldTour doesn't mean their Pro Continental teams don't get a look in, with Caja Rural's Angel Madrazo and Lluis Mas both included in the list.

Valverde has won the bronze medal in the past three World Championships road races, with his best result being second in both 2003 and 2005. Rodriguez was second to Rui Costa in Florence in 2013 and third in 2009.

Spain has not won road race gold since Oscar Freire won his third and final title in 2004 in Verona.

Spanish longlist for World Championships

Alejandro Valverde, Jon Izagirre, Juan José Lobato, Imanol Erviti, Jonathan Castroviejo, Gorka Izagirre, José Joaquín Rojas (all Movistar), Joaquim Rodríguez, Dani Moreno, Angel Vicioso (all Katusha), Luis León Sánchez (Astana), Rubén Plaza (Lampre-Merida), Angel Madrazo and Lluis Más (both Caja Rural)

Rarely has there been more to play for in a final week time trial at a Grand Tour, but on stage 17 of the Vuelta a España the whole race could be turned on its head and we may see a quite unexpected rider topping the leaderboard.

Tom Dumoulin heads into the 38.7km as the strong favourite to win the stage, but sitting just 1-51 behind leader Joaquim Rodriguez, and with no strong time trialists ahead of him, he could take over the race lead tonight.

Dr Hutch talks us through the tactics behind a long time trial

With 167 riders left in the race, Lanterne Rouge Boy Van Poppel sets off first at 12:34 (BST), with a one-minute time gap between each rider outside the top 30.

When we get down to Nicolas Roche, who sits in 30th, the time gaps expand to two minutes, with Rodriguez the last man out the gate at 15:49.

Selected start times

Steve Cummings (MTN-Qhubeka) 13:42

Andrew Talansky (Cannondale-Garmin) 13:46

Vasil Kiriyenka (Team Sky) 13:54

Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) 14:20

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) 15:31

Louis Meintjes (MTN-Qhubeka) 15:33

Nairo Quintana (Movistar) 15:35

Dani Moreno (Katusha) 15:37

Esteban Chaves (Orica-GreenEdge) 15:39

Mikel Nieve (Team Sky) 15:41

Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin) 15:43

Rafal Majka (Tinkoff-Saxo) 15:45

Fabio Aru (Astana) 15:47

Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) 15:49

Tom Dumoulin will take the overall lead in the time trial tomorrow, and possibly win the Vuelta a España on Sunday, according to team bosses at the race in Spain.

Dumoulin sits 1-51 minutes behind overall leader Joaquím Rodríguez (Katusha) and another second closer to Fabio Aru (Astana) in second place. Today, the riders have a rest day and the insiders have time to think about what will happen over the 38.7-kilometres time trial in Burgos.

After the time trial, the leader must defend for four more days. Before the finish in Madrid on Sunday, the race only includes two mountain days, but neither are summit finishes.

“Dumoulin is holding up well. I expect him to do a super time trial. He can win the race," Team Sky principal Sir Dave Brailsford told Cycling Weekly.

"The exciting thing about a time trial this late into the race is that you don't know what impact the two weeks of racing will have. If they all were fresh, he would smash it. It's ideal for him.

“My money is on Dumoulin. He can do enough to win the race. It's for him to lose rather than the rest to win."

Alejandro Valverde and Nairo Quintana were favourites for the overall victory, but now they are both out of the running. Their Movistar team says 24-year-old Dumoulin will come out on top.

"Dumoulin has been a big surprise of this Vuelta," sports director José Arrieta said.

"No one expected him to climb as he has been doing. I think he can take two minutes in the time trial and the overall lead."

 Dr Hutch talks us through the tactics of a long time trial

Katusha and Astana backed the men who currently hold the top two spots, but they are concerned about the Dutchman who placed third in the UCI World Championships time trial behind winner Sir Bradley Wiggins last year.

"Dumoulin within three minutes is still a threat," Katusha sports director, José Azevedo said.

"The time trial in the third week is different than in the first week. Everyone is so tired - if you are strong, you can defend better. 'Purito' [Rodríguez] has worked on his time trial and he is better than he was in 2010. It's going to be close."

Rodríguez has finished on the podium in all three grand tours but at 36 years old still is trying to win his first one. 25-year-old Aru, after placing second in the Giro d'Italia behind Alberto Contador in May, wants to win his first, as well. Both suffer when asked to ride alone on an aero bike.

"I don't think [Dumoulin] will be able to recover two minutes in the time trial," Astana team manager Giuseppe Martinelli said. "If he does, then we will have to go on the attack in the final mountain stages."

The riders themselves are unsure, or at least they are not saying who they think will win.

"Maybe he is the favourite to win this Vuelta," Rodríguez said of Dumoulin. "For me to win the Vuelta, he would need to fail and I would need to have a fantastic day."

Spaniard Joaquím Rodríguez took over the Vuelta a España race lead by one second today in a tug-of-war fight with Italian Fabio Aru. It is not the Italian, however, that team Katusha's captain is worried about with less than a week to race, but Dutchman Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin).

Dumoulin, third in the time trial world championships behind winner Bradley Wiggins, could shake up the race overall standings Wednesday in the 38.7-kilometre time trial around Burgos in Spain's northwest. After two heavy mountain stages, and with a rest day tomorrow, he sits fourth overall at 1-51 minutes behind Rodríguez.

Team Astana's Aru is one second back at the end of stage 16 and Pole Rafal Majka (Tinkoff-Saxo) is in third place at 1-35.

"It's going to be very complicated to win the Vuelta a España," Rodriguez said at the top of Ermita de Alba before taking a helicopter ride to Burgos.

>>> Five talking points from stage 16 of the Vuelta a España

"Dumoulin was looking good today, better than he was yesterday. We got a little time back, but he will have tomorrow to recover, and I think he will have a very good time trial."

Dumoulin hung with the best climbers until the final kilometre. As Fränk Schleck (Trek) celebrated his solo victory from an escape group, Dumoulin motored up the climb behind the Rodríguez group and managed the gap.

At the line 1185 metres up in Spain’s northwestern mountains, and after 5010 metres of climbing, Dumoulin only trailed by 27 seconds. His new 1-51-minute deficit is enough to worry Rodríguez, who is trying to claim his first grand tour win after finishing second or third in all three grand tours. In 2012, he lost 47 seconds, and the Giro d’Italia overall lead, in a 28.2-kilometre time trial to Ryder Hesjedal on the last day.

"I will try to have the best time trial I can, but the differences between everyone for the podium are going to be close," Rodríguez added. "I hope to be able to finish on the podium."

The Vuelta a España is moving closer to its finish in Madrid, but it is anyone's guess who will win the race overall.

The tall and skinny Italian, Fabio Aru (Astana) holds on to the red leader's jersey, but only just. Spaniard Joaquím Rodríguez (Katusha), winner on two days in the Tour de France in July, won today's summit finish at Sotres and moved within one second of the lead.

Time trial specialist, Dutchman Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin) lost ground - 51 seconds - but still hovers at 1-25 minutes behind Aru.

Others have a chance, too. Pole Rafal Majka (Tinkoff-Saxo) sits third overall at 1-24 and Colombian Esteban Chaves (Orica-GreenEdge) fifth at 1-34.

"The Vuelta is all knotted up, the race overall will be a game of seconds," Rodríguez explained at the finish, at 1230 metres in northern Spain's Asturias.

"Tomorrow there will be another shakeup on the stage. Definitely, though, after the Burgos time trial, we will have a clearer picture of the situation."

Tomorrow's stage could be the toughest of the 2015 Vuelta, or at least runner up to the Andorra stage last week. To reach the Alto Ermita de Alba summit, the riders must climb 5010 metres over 185 kilometres.

They have a rest day on Tuesday, but the next day, the Vuelta scheduled a 38.7-kilometre time trial that could swing the race back in Dumoulin's favour.

The tall 70-kilo Dutchman lost time today. He is expected to lose more tomorrow, but could come close or take over the race lead Wednesday in the time trial.

Dumoulin rode to a bronze medal in the world championships time trial last year in Ponferrada, Spain, behind winner Bradley Wiggins and Tony Martin. Aru and Rodríguez both suffer when put on aero time trial bikes and asked to ride long distances.

In 2012, Rodríguez lost the Giro d’Italia overall to Canadian Ryder Hesjedal on the last day in a time trial through Milan.

Aru, who barely held on to the Vuelta's red jersey today, did not appear happy with the situation in the press tent at the summit.

"Both Dumoulin and Rodríguez are dangerous for me," Aru explained.

"It can't be positive with today's result. I lost time to 'Purito' [Rodríguez], 25 seconds. For sure, I'm not happy with that.

"Tomorrow is very very hard. Then there's the time trial... What [Dumoulin has] shown in the time trials already is that he can gain. The question is how much. I don't know. I don't know."

Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) took the fight to his Vuelta a España rivals on Sunday, breaking clear of the contenders' group and overall leader Fabio Aru (Astana) on the tough final climb to take stage 15 and move within one second of the red jersey.

Spaniard Rodriguez gave a performance to please the home crowd, attacking a select group of race favourites in the dying kilometres of the 176-kilometre stage, featuring a first category ascent to Sostres in the finale.

Rodriguez simply out-paced Aru, as the latter rocked his bike and fought for breath to minimise his time loss. Aru's effort was untidy yet effective, and the Italian clung onto the overall lead by just one second after placing fifth behind Rodriguez.

Rafal Majka (Tinkoff-Saxo) placed second on the stage, with Rodriguez's Katusha team-mate Daniel Moreno in third.

Colombian hope Nairo Quintana (Movistar) seems to be improving each day after suffering with illness earlier this week. He was one of the first to attack on the climb, and although the move was short-lived he finished at the same time as Aru.

Rodriguez adds this Vuelta victory to eight previous wins in the race, and two stages of the 2015 Tour de France in July. He must now be dreaming of his first overall victory in a Grand Tour.

Before the overall contenders provided the fireworks, a nine-man break had led the way consisting of Natnael Berhane (MTN-Qhubeka), Blel Kadri (Ag2r), Nikolas Maes (Etixx-QuickStep), Brayan Ramirez (Colombia), Pierre Rolland (Europcar), Dominique Rollin (Cofidis), Maarten Tjallingii (LottoNL-Jumbo), Ricardo Vilela (Caja Rural) and Haimar Zubeldia (Trek Factory Racing).

With the catch imminent as the leaders hit the final climb, Zubeldia struck out on his own from the escape, but stood little chance of keeping the chasing GC men at bay after a tough day.

Aru will attempt to defend his one-second lead over Rodriguez in another mountain stage tomorrow, before Tuesday's second rest day. Stage 16 from Luarca to Ermita de Alba Quirós looks like a tough one for Astana to police, with six categorised climbs before another brutal mountain-top finale.

The GC will then undoubtedly be shaken up on Wednesday, with stage 17's individual time trial. The race concludes on Sunday, September 13, in Madrid.

Results

Vuelta a España 2015, stage 15: Comillas to Sotres Cabrales, 175.8km

1. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha in 4-33-31

2. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo at 12 secs

3. Daniel Moreno (Spa) Katusha at 14 secs

4. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar at 15 secs

5. Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana at same time

6. Mikel Landa (Spa) Astana at 18 secs

7. Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica-GreenEdge at 20 secs

8. Mikel Nieve (Spa) Team Sky at 24 secs

9. Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar at 29 secs

10. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Ag2r at 41 secs

Overall classification after stage 15

1. Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana in 61-53-56

2. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha at 1 sec

3. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo at 1-24

4. Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Giant-Alpecin at 1-25

5. Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica-GreenEdge at 1-34

6. Daniel Moreno (Spa) Katusha at 2-08

7. Mikel Nieve (Spa) Team Sky at 2-19

8. Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar at 2-25

9. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar at 3-00

10. Louis Mentjes (RSA) MTN-Qhubeka at 5-07

You'd imagine that sometimes professional riders might think about finding the person who designs some of the mountain stages of Grand Tours and at the very least, giving them a few choice words over why they felt the need to place such mammoth uphill tests in a bike race which already lasts three weeks.

This time though, that person will be right in front of them. Whether he thought this was the stage in which he could win the 2015 Vuelta a España, or whether he's just got some sadistic love of self-punishment, Joaquim Rodriguez probably won't be short of a few comments from his fellow riders after having a helping hand in designing the colossal 11th stage in Andorra.

If you haven't seen the shark tooth profile yet, then here it is...

...not a flat road in sight.

While Purito might attract the ire of some of his fellow professionals for constructing a brutal 138km stage with no less than six categorised climbs (the same as his sportive...good luck with that one), including a summit finish, it is likely to provide the biggest shake-up in GC so far in this already hilly Vuelta. And some riders seem to be secretly looking forward to it.

Although not Nicholas Roche...

It's not just the number of climbs the riders will be needing to worry about either, with some of the climbs hitting some serious gradients. The Coll de la Gallina, the only especial climb en route, maxes out at 17% while it averages 8% over its 12km. And once they've suffered through that, there's still two climbs to come.

Most riders are purely going to be trying to survive a day like this and they won't be pleased to see that their last kilometre of climbing for the day will end with an average gradient of 7.8% on the Cortals de Encamp, which is where the big climbers will still be fighting it out even after all that climbing.

Stage designer himself, Purito sits 57s off the race lead an will be eyeing the red jersey of Tom Dumoulin on Wednesday's stage, saying it is "something special" and that the "climbers will be delighted".

Climber or not, this looks to be one of the hardest stages in Grand Tour history and will hoepfully make for some spectacular viewing...even if the riders don't quite agree.

Joaquim Rodriguez has signed a one-year contract extention at Katusha to take the Spaniard into his seventh season with the Russian team.

The eight-time Vuelta a España stage winner has continued to show his winning quality at this year's Tour de France, taking two stages already in the race.

Rodriguez, 36, has finished on the podium at all three Grand Tours without ever winning one,  but has claimed six top-10 finishes at the Vuelta a España in the last seven years.

"How could I make the choice not to continue with my current team? Our climbers as well as our sprinters, we are all in the winning mood already a year-long. The atmosphere never has been better than this season.

"It was my dream to go on with Team Katusha, with my current teammates and current staff. For me it was a logical choice. We decided already a while ago to continue our relationship but in the end it always takes a while to finalise the contract.

"I am happy I could sign on this rest day. Worry-free I can now tackle the final week of the Tour de France."

Rodriguez was well placed at the Tour de France after the tricky first week of racing, but a poor result on stage 10 knocked him out of contention for a high overall finish.

Now sitting 48 minutes down on Chris Froome, the Spaniard has turned his attentions to stage wins and the polka dot jersey - a competition in which he sits second behind Chris Froome.

"Despite his age Joaquim Rodriguez still delivers," said team manager Vladimir Ekimov. "We don’t see any regression in his results or attitude.

"On and off the bike Joaquim is a model of professionalism. It is the key of his successes. Joaquim is an example for his teammates. We are happy he continues with Team Kausha. Our future looks bright."

What is it like to ride the Tour de France?

Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) took a solo win on stage 12 of the 2015 Tour de France atop Plateau de Beille on Thursday, as Chris Froome's (Team Sky) race lead went unchallenged.

Spaniard Rodriguez attacked from the day's escape group to claim the victory on the race's final day in the Pyrenees. Dane Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) placed second, with Frenchman Romain Bardet (Ag2r) in third.

Despite attempts at attacks from Nairo Quintana (Movistar), Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) and Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), the overall contenders remained closely in contact right up until the finish line, with Froome safely retaining the overall race lead.

A large 22-rider escape group formed early on in the stage, which included Rodriguez, world champion Michal Kwiatkowski (Etixx-QuickStep), Romain Bardet (Ag2r), Georg Preidler (Giant-Alpecin), Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) and Sep Vanmarcke (LottoNL-Jumbo).

The group built up a lead of over 10 minutes as Sky led the pace of the peloton behind. Several riders were put into trouble very early on, including British Tour debutant Alex Dowsett (Movistar), who after struggling with injury and fatigue decided to call it a day and abandon the race.

>>> Alex Dowsett abandons Tour de France

After the 22 riders worked together to tackle the first two categorised climbs of the day - the Col de Portet-d'Aspet and Col de la Core - Kwiatkowski, Preidler and Vanmarcke decided to break free from the escape group as the first category Port de Lers loomed.

Preidler was dropped by Kwiatkowski and Vanmarcke, leaving the two riders to crest the Port de Lers out front. Eight riders - Rodriguez, Bardet, Fuglsang, Romain Sicard (Europcar), Gorka Izagirre (Movistar), Mikel Cherel (Ag2r), Jan Barta (Bora-Argon 18) and Luis Mentjes (MTN-Qhubeka) - started to chase them. Mentjes crashed on the descent, but remounted quickly and managed to catch back up with the chase group.

The lead duo created a gap of nearly two minutes on the chasers as they headed towards the final climb of Plateau de Beille - 15.8km at average of 7.9 per cent. Meanwhile, a huge hailstorm erupted.

Kwiatkowski attacked Vanmarcke with 14km to go as the gradient of the climb ramped up to 10 per cent. Fuglsang, Bardet, Rodriguez and Mentjes accelerated away from the rest of the chase group, quickly passing Vanmarcke in their pursuit of Kwiatkowski.

Rodriguez started to set the pace and close the gap on Kwiatkowski, and dropping Bardet, Mentjes and Fuglsang.

Behind them, Tinkoff-Saxo joined Sky at the front of the remnants of the peloton, which was starting to get whittled down to the main players and their key mountain helpers. Contador was the first to try an attack, but was quickly caught. Then Nibali had a go, and was reeled in as Richie Porte and Geraint Thomas led the chase for Froome.

Inside 5km to go, a flurry of attacks came from the contenders group, with Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), Quintana and Froome all having a dig to see who they could get rid of. Meanwhile, Rodriguez crossed the finish line to take the stage win, soaking wet but with a broad grin on his face.

Back in the contenders' group, the fast pace maintained by Thomas inside the final kilometre appeared to prevent any last-minute attacks, and aside from a small gap opened up by Valverde as he sprinted to the line, the contenders all finished together.

Froome retains his 2-52 lead over Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing), with Quintana in third at 3-09. Thomas is fifth at 4-03. Nibali re-enters the top 10 in ninth, 7-47 adrift of Froome.

>>> Five talking points from Tour de France stage 12

Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo) retains the green jersey by a slim two-point lead after André Greipel won the intermediate sprint. Froome also retained the King of the Mountains jersey, which will be worn by Rodriguez on stage 13 as Froome is in yellow.

Tomorrow, the 2015 Tour heads away from the Pyrenees on stage 13, for a comparatively flat stage from Muret to Rodez over 198.5km.

>>> Tour de France 2015 stage 13 full preview

Results

Tour de France 2015, stage 12: Lannemezan to Plateau de Beille, 195km

1. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha

2. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana at 1-12

3. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r at 1-49

4. Gorka Izagirre (Spa) Movistar at 4-34

5. Louis Mentjes (RSA) MTN-Qhubeka at 4-38

6. Jan Barta (Cze) Bora-Argon 18 at 5-47

7. Romain Sicard (Fra) Europcar at 6-03

8. Mikael Cherel (Fra) Ag2r at 6-28

9. Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar at 6-46

10. Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky at 6-47

Other

11. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar

13. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing

14. Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo

16. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana

17. Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky all same time

Overall classification after stage 12

1. Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky

2. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing at 2-52

3. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar at 3-09

4. Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar at 3-58

5. Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky at 4-03

6. Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo at 4-04

7. Robert Gesink (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo at 5-32

8. Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto-Soudal at 7-32

9. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana at 7-47

10. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek Factory Racing at 8-02

Team Sky's Sergio Henao took the overall lead at the Tour of the Basque Country but missed out on his first win since 2013 as he was pipped to the line in Zumarraga by Katusha's Joaquim Rodriguez.

Henao attacked on the day's final climb on the Alto de la Antigua, leaving him with Rodriguez and Nairo Quintana for company on the 3km descent to the finish line.

A miscalculation by Rodriguez on the final corner looked to put him out of contention as the Team Sky rider opened the sprint 150m from the line. But the 35-year-old, who won the stage in the same town in 2011, kept his nerve to take the win.

>>> Sergio Henao returns from broken knee at Settimana Coppi e Bartali

Earlier in the day a four-man breakaway, including 20-year-old Brit Hugh Carthy, gained a healthy lead over the peloton over the day's mountains.

On the first ascent of the Antigua a number of riders were forced to push their bikes up the category two climb as the narrow band of spectators made it impossible for those who stopped to get back on their bikes.

Astana's Lieuwe Westra was the only one of the break to reach the final climb ahead of the peloton but the sharp gradients of the Antigua proved too much for the Dutchman as he was caught by the chasing pack.

Quintana and Rodriguez led the peloton towards the top of the climb but Henao's burst of speed saw him reach the peak first with a three kilometre descent to the finish line.

The trio kept their distance into the final kilometre as Henao hit the front once more. Rodriguez went from third to first with a jump that defied his age, as Quintana never really featured in the sprint.

Tour of the Basque Country stage 3 result

Vitoria-Gasteiz › Zumarraga (170.7k)

1. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha 4:39:02

2. Sergio Luis Henao (Col) Team Sky

3. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team

4. Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Etixx - Quick-Step at 7s

5. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo

6. Michele Scarponi (Ita) Astana Pro Team

7. Samuel Sanchez (Spa) BMC Racing Team

8. Simon Yates (GBr) Orica GreenEdge at 10s

9. Simon Spilak (Slo) Team Katusha

10. Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team

Overall standings

1. Sergio Luis Henao (Col) Team Sky 13:08:41

2. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha

3. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team

4. Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Etixx - Quick-Step at 7s

5. Samuel Sanchez (Spa) BMC Racing Team

6. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo

7. Michele Scarponi (Ita) Astana Pro Team

8. Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Team Katusha at 10s

9. Alexis Vuillermoz (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale

10. Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team

Defending champion Joaquim Rodriguez will miss this week’s Volta a Catalunya with a stomach virus.

The Katusha rider will be replaced by Alberto Losada in the race that sees the renewal of Chris Froome’s rivalry with Alberto Contador.

Froome was forced to pull out of Tirreno-Adriatico earlier in the month with a virus of his own as Contador raced to fifth place in the overall standings.

Contador’s fellow Spaniard Alejandro Valverde leads a strong Movistar lineup while 2013 champion Dan Martin will look for Cannondale-Garmin’s first success of the season.

Route

Catalunya’s mountainous surroundings should provide the perfect battlegrounds for Froome, Contador and co in the tussle for the general classification.

Stage three will see many of the riding around their own back yards as the race hits Girona – a place many cyclists call home during the season.

The following day could see the title decided as the race heads to a summit finish in La Molina following a gruelling climb up Alt de la Creueta.

Stage seven sees the racing head to Barcelona, finishing with eight circuits of the category three climb of Alt de Montjuîc.

Contenders

While Froome, Contador and Valverde will take most of the headlines going into the race, the Volta a Catalunya often throws up some surprise winners.

Rodriguez topped the list in both 2010 and 2014, but the race has also been won by Michael Albasini (2012) and Michele Scarponi (2011) in recent years.

Cannondale-Garmin have sent a strong team to support Martin, with former Giro d’Italia winner Ryder Hesjedal and reigning Criterium du Dauphiné champion Andrew Talansky in their ranks.

Astana’s Fabio Aru and Etixx-Quick-Step leader Rigoberto Uran will likely be in the mix, as will BMC’s Tejay van Garderen. Lampre-Merida, meanwhile, will be lead by the Tour of Oman champion Rafael Valls.

Luka Mezgec, of Giant-Alpecin, returns to Catalunya to lead the German team, having taken three stages of last year’s race before withdrawing on the final stage.

Stages

Stage 1: Calella – Calella (191.1km)

Stage 2: Mataro – Olot (195km)

Stage 3: Girona – Girona (159.6km)

Stage 4: Tona – La Molina (191km)

Stage 5: Alp – Valls (197km)

Stage 6: Cervera – Port Aventura (197.7km)

Stage 7: Barcelona – Barcelona (123.5km)

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."

 More on Joaquim Rodriguez

Joaquim Rodriguez out of Giro d'Italia after stage six crash

Spanish overall hope Joaquim Rodriguez requires hospital treatment after Giro crash

Joaquim Rodriguez back in action at Fleche Wallonne after Amstel crash

Andy Schleck also suffering from injuries sustained during Amstel Gold Race on Sunday

Riders react to 2015 Tour de France route presentation

What the best cyclists in the world have to say about the route of the 2015 Tour de France

If one set of fisticuffs wasn't enough for a bike race, Team Sky's Philip Deignan has said that Katusha's Joaquim Rodriguez "turned towards me and punched me full in the face" during stage 15 of the Vuelta a Espana.

The incident happened just one day before Gianluca Brambilla (Omega Pharma - Quick-Step) and Ivan Rovny (Saxo-Tinkoff) were both excluded from the grand tour for throwing punches at each other while in the breakaway on stage 16.

Deignan, who is riding in support of Britain's Chris Froome, told the Irish Independent that Spain's Rodriguez took exception to him holding his position in the bunch as he lead Froome up the penultimate climb of the day.

"Going over the top of the penultimate climb on Sunday," Deignan said, "I had my team leader Chris Froome behind me and was moving up to get into the wheels of the Tinkoff-Saxo train at the front, which I was perfectly entitled to do."

"As we hurtled along in the rain at around 50kph, Katusha's Spanish team leader Joaquin Rodriguez, who is fourth overall, took umbrage to my presence and nudged me out a little bit. So I held my ground and nudged him back."

It was at this point says Deignan, that Rodriguez, who currently sits in fourth place in the general classification, punched him.

"Out of the blue, Rodriguez turned towards me and punched me full in the face, splitting my lip and leaving me both stunned and fuming," he added.

Thankfully, the Irishman says he managed to keep his cool and not react to the incident, however said that it was greeted "with a chorus of shouts from the rest of the peloton."

Rodriguez was later, according to Deignan, brought over by his director sportif to the Team Sky bus to apologise the following day before the start of stage 16, which the Team Sky rider accepted.

In response to the incident, a Katusha press officer told Reuters:

"It was more a gesture saying 'what are you doing?' He did not mean to touch him."

Przemyslaw Niemiec (Lampre-Merida) won stage 15 of the Vuelta a Espana, thanks to being the sole survivor of the day’s break.

Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) lost a few seconds to Spanish rivals Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Joaquim Rodriquez (Katusha) – who finished second and third respectively - but maintains his overall lead.

Chris Froome (Sky) had another yo-yoing off the back of the GC group, but again managed to limit his loses. He finished sixth, 12 seconds behind Valverde and Rodriguez, and seven seconds behind Contador.

After a select group had been formed on the final climb, a pattern quickly emerged – Contador and the Spaniards would accelerate and drop Froome, Froome would gradually pace himself back up to them, before they accelerated again.

Contador himself was the main instigator of these attacks, and never looked troubled, although he has lost some ground by missing out in the bonus seconds at the finish to his GC rivals.

Niemiec was part of a five-man break that got away early in the day, consisting of Cameron Meyer (Orica-GreenEdge), Kristof Vandewalle (Trek-Factory Racing) and Francisco Aramendia (Caja Rural) and, somewhat surprisingly, John Degenkolb (Giant-Shimano). The German’s intentions became more clear however when he claimed maximum points at both intermediate sprints to consolidate his lead in the green jersey competition.

He now looks a strong favourite in that competition, following the abandonment of rival sprinter Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ).

Degenkolb was dropped after claiming these points, leaving the other four to contest the stage. Niemiec proved to be comfortably the best climber, and rode away to claim his first ever grand tour stage win.

“Yes, Polish cycling is looking good just now with Majka and Kwiatkowski and I’m happy to be part of it," said Niemiec, who is one of a few riders at the Vuelta looking to put himself in the shop window.

"I’m happy to be at Lampre as well and I hope this win will help me with my contract negotiations. I know I won here but I’m quite happy working for Michele Scarponi and being the last guy with him on the climbs."

Results
Vuelta a Espana 2014, stage 15: Oviedo to Lagos de Covadonga, 152.2km
1. Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Lampre-Merida in 4-11-09

2. Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar at 5 secs

3. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha at same time

4. Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo at 10 secs

5. Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana at 17 secs

6. Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky at same time

7. Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin-Sharp at 28 secs

8. Warren Barguil (Fra) Giant-Shimano at 44 secs

9. Rigoberto Uran (Col) Omega Pharma-QuickStep at 1-00

10. Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Katusha at 1-00

Overall classification after stage 15
1. Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo in 58-31-35

2. Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar at 31 secs

3. Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky at 1-20

4. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha at 1-20

5. Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana at 2-22

6. Rigoberto Uran (Col) Omega Pharma-QuickStep at 2-57

7. Dan Martin (Ire) Garmin-Sharp at 4-55

8. Samuel Sanchez (Spa) BMC Racing at 5-02

9. Robert Gesink (Ned) Belkin at 5-11

10. Warren Barguil (Fra) Giant-Shimano at 6-36

Ryder Hesjedal celebrates second Vuelta a Espana stage win

Ryder Hesjedal won his second-ever Vuelta stage at the summit of La Camperona, overhauling Oliver Zaugg in the final 200

Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) has withdrawn from the Giro d'Italia after suffering numerous injuries as a result of a crash on Thursday's stage six.

Rodriguez lost seven minutes and 43 seconds to stage winner and overall race leader Michael Matthews (Orica-GreenEdge) and rival Cadel Evans (BMC) on the stage, dashing any hopes of taking the race victory.

The Katusha leader suffered from deep cuts, fractured rib and a broken thumb as a swath of the peloton was brought down on slick roads within the final 12km to Montecassino.

"It hurts to leave the Giro, but there is no other option," Rodriguez said in a team statement. "The crashes were bad for all of us. The road was very slippery and we were going 60km an hour. Just touching your brakes was enough to crash. But that is a risk we always take. It is part of our job to try to be in the front to fight for the victory.

"I really cannot blame the organization or the local roads. After the crash I got back on my bike immediately, more full of aggression and determination, but after a while I clearly felt what the problem was, as I could not breath anymore."

In addition to Rodriguez, Katusha's Giampaolo Caruso and Angel Vicioso were also forced to abandon after crashing in today's stage. Caruso was already carrying a scaphoid fracture from crashing in Belfast during the race's depart in Ireland.

Joaquím Rodríguez and Andy Schleck are among those suffering from crashes in the Amstel Gold Race. Rodriguez confirmed he will start in the Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday but could suffer on the closing Mur de Huy climb.

"Our osteopath treated me very well, that's why I decided to do this [two-hour ride] test," said team Katusha's captain. "The first 30 minutes were very painful, but afterwards it went better. The major problem remains the efforts on the climbs."

The Spaniard won Flèche Wallonne in 2012. The race ends with a steep climb up 'the wall' of Huy, a small road that kicks up to 26 per cent in some sections.

"I am a bit afraid of the Mur de Huy, but we will see," Rodríguez added.

"On the one hand, I feel it as an obligation towards my team-mate and last year's winner Dani Moreno, to support him. On the other hand, I feel that I need this race to be at top level in Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday."

Rodríguez said that he lowered his ambitions in the race. He crashed about 80 kilometres into Sunday's 251.4-kilometre race with 2010 Tour de France winner Andy Schleck.

Schleck is searching for his top form after fracturing his pelvis in a crash at the 2012 Critérium du Dauphiné. In the Amstel Gold Race, he hurt his knee.

"I did the work I had to do to start the classics on good form. I hope to show it in Flèche Wallonne and in Liège but I have doubts," Schleck told Luxemburger newspaper Wort.lu. "Our Trek Factory Racing Team has competent people so I hope that we manage to resolve this problem."

Unlike Rodríguez, Schleck continued the race. The 28-year-old Luxemburger abandoned 40 kilometres later, however.

Schleck hoped to lead the Trek team in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, which he won in 2010. Schleck is still due to start Flèche and Liège, but the attention will now likely turn to his brother Fränk.

Sky's Geraint Thomas survived the cobbled classics but crashed in the Amstel Gold Race. He wrote on Twitter, “Someone decided he wanted a wee and just turned 90 degrees right, nowhere to go, apart from the deck.”

Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) won the Volta a Catalunya overall on Sunday, successfully fending off attacks on the final day's racing in Barcelona.

Lieuwe Westra (Astana) took a solo win on the last stage, run off in wet conditions around eight laps of the hilly finishing circuit in the Spanish city.

Marcus Burghardt (BMC) placed second with Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) in third, both one minute and 22 seconds behind Westra.

Rodriguez came home in 10th to secure the overall title after nullifying a late attack by Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) on the final climb of the day. In the event, Rodriguez kept his overall advantage over Contador at four seconds, with Tejay van Garderen in third at seven seconds.

Chris Froome (Sky) kept hold of his sixth place overall despite crashing during the stage.

Team Sky directeur sportif confirmed that Froome's injuries were not serious after the race: "Froomey’s OK. He’s got a small cut to his knee and has lost a bit of skin on his thigh and arm, but nothing that won’t heal in a few days time, or hamper his training."

Results
Volta a Catalunya 2014, stage seven: Barcelona to Barcelona, 108.7km
1. Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Astana in 2-36-14

2. Marcus Burghardt (Ger) BMC Racing at 1-22

3. Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Europcar at same time

4. Maciej Paterski (Pol) CCC Polsat at 1-26

5. Yohan Bagot (Fra) Cofidis at 1-36

6. Jan Polanc (Slo) Lampre-Merida at 2-07

7. Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo

8. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r

9. Arnold Jeannesson (Fra) FDJ

10. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha at same time

Final overall classification
1. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha in 29-41-34

2. Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo at 4 secs

3. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing at 7 secs

4. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r at 10 secs

5. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar at 10 secs

6. Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky at 17 secs

7. Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin-Sharp at 18 secs

8. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Ag2r at 26 secs

9. Warren Barguil (Fra) Giant-Shimano at 42 secs

10. Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Trek Factory Racing at 48 secs

Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing) claimed stage four of the 2014 Volta a Catalunya on Thursday, conquering the race's queen stage at Vallter 2000 in misty, freezing conditions.

It's van Garderen's first victory of the 2014 season, and the American can be rightly satisfied to have beaten Grand Tour rivals Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo), Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and Chris Froome (Sky) in one of the year's first big mountain tests.

Van Garderen out-paced fellow escapee Romain Bardet (Ag2r) to take the victory, with Contador coming home in third. British hope Chris Froome finished in seventh.

Rodriguez's fourth spot was enough for him to hang on to the overall race lead ahead of Contador by a slim four-second advantage. Van Garderen moves up to third overall whilst Froome drops a place to sixth, 17 seconds behind Rodriguez.

The race concludes on Sunday, March 30, with few opportunities left for the other contenders to overhaul Rodriguez's lead overall.

Results
Volta a Catalunya 2014, stage four: Alp to Vallter 2000, 166.4km
1. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team in 4-49-30

2. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale at same time

3. Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo at 3 secs

4. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha at 4 secs

5. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar at 5 secs

6. Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin-Sharp at 8 secs

7. Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky at same time

8. Warren Barguil (Fra) Giant-Shimano at 15 secs

9. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Ag2r La Mondiale at 16 secs

10. Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Trek Factory Racing at 21 secs

Overall classification after stage four
1. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha in 17-47-34

2. Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo at 4 secs

3. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team at 7 secs

4. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale at 10 secs

5. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team at 10 secs

6. Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky at 17 secs

7. Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin-Sharp at 18 secs

8. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Ag2r La Mondiale at 26 secs

9. Warren Barguil (Fra) Giant-Shimano at 42 secs

10. David Arroyo (Spa) Caja Rural at 45 secs

Joaquim Rodriguez wins Volta a Catalunya stage three to take race lead

Chris Froome attacks in final kilometre but no-one can stop Joaquim Rodriguez

Joaquim Rodriguez won the third stage of the Volta a Catalunya today with an acceleration that his arch-rivals Chris Froome and Alberto Contador simply could not match.

The Katusha rider celebrated a solo victory after an attack within the final 500m of the 162.9km run to La Molina ski station.

The real fireworks eventuated late in the piece with race general classification favourites including Rodriguez (Katusha), Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo), Froome (Sky) and Nairo Quintana (Movistar) choosing to wait really until the final kilometre.

Kevin Reza (Europcar) was the last of six escapees to be reeled in by the reduced front group some five kilometres from the finish. The Frenchman had attacked the remnants of the break, which included Rudy Molard (Cofidis), Jack Bobridge (Belkin), Andrey Zeits (Astana), Michel Koch (Cannondale) and Branislau Samoilau (CCC Polsat Polkowice), inside the last 10km.

Froome was the first of the elite aforementioned quartet to make a dash but no sooner sat back in the saddle. Rodriguez waited and then made his move, which Contador tried to mark but could not so finished second ahead of Quintana. Froome faded to fifth behind American Tejay van Garderen (BMC).

Tomorrow (Thursday), the riders face a tougher test with a mountain-top finish at Vallter 2000 - as long as the finish isn't hampered by snowfall. It's a finish that on paper suits Froome's talents more than those of the explosive Rodriguez, but there is still a question mark over Froome's form after he missed Tirreno-Adriatico with back problems.

Results
Volta a Catalunya 2014, stage three: Banyoles to La Molina, 162.9km
1. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha in 4-50-55

2. Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo at 5 secs

3. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar at 9 secs

4. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing at 11 secs

5. Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky at 13 secs

6. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Ag2r at 14 secs

7. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Belkin

8. Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin-Sharp

9. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r at same time

10. Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Lampre-Merida at 20 secs

Overall classification after stage three
1. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha in 12-58-00

2. Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo at 5 secs

3. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar at 9 secs

4. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing at 11 secs

5. Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky at 13 secs

6. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Belkin at 14 secs

7. Romain Bardet (Fra) Ag2r

8. Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin-Sharp

9. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Ag2r at same time

10. Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Lampre-Merida at 20 secs

Richie Porte out of Volta a Catalunya with lingering illness

Luka Mezgec wins opening stage of Volta a Catalunya

Luka Mezgec takes race lead after winning stage one bunch sprint

JOAQUIM RODRIGUEZ

Date of birth: 12/5/79

From: Parets del Valles, Spain

Team: Katusha

Previous teams: Caisse d'Epargne (2006-9), Saunier Duval (2004-5), ONCE (2000-3)

Joaquim Rodriguez career profile

Joaquim Rodriguez enjoyed the best season of his career in 2010 and took over Alberto Contador's top spot in the UCI's world ranking after his consistent results over the year.

‘Purito' finished eighth in the 2010 Tour de France and, in his best ever Grand Tour performance, took a stage victory and secured fourth overall in the 2010 Vuelta a Espana.

With the strength of Spanish cycling such as it is, anybody who can win the national road race title (2007) must clearly have some pedigree.

The Spaniard won the mountains classification while riding for Saunier Duval at the 2005 edition Vuelta and while he is known mainly for his climbing skills, Rodriguez is a versatile rider who also enjoys the Classics.

Rodriguez won the Klasika Primavera in 2007, has taken second at both Fleche Wallone and Liege-Bastogne-Liege and has a good record in the San Sebastian Classic.

If any further proof were needed, Rodriguez underlined his talent with a bronze at the 2009 World Road Race Championship behind Australian Cadel Evans and Russia's Alexandr Kolobnev.

Rodriguez's season-long consistency in major stage and one-day races netted him the 2012 and 2013 UCI WorldTour titles.

Joaquim Rodriguez results
2014
Volta a Catalunya; stage three

Volta a Catalunya; overall

2013
Tour of Oman; stage four

Tirreno-Adriatico; stage five

Vuelta a Espana; stage 19

Tour of Lombardy

2012
Fleche Wallonne
Tour of the Basque Country; stage four

Tour of the Basque Country; stage five

Tirreno-Adriatico; stage six
Giro d'Italia; stage 10

Giro d'Italia; stage 17

Giro d'Italia; points classification

Vuelta a Espana; stage six

Vuelta a Espana; stage 12

Tour of Lombardy

2011
Criterium du Dauphine; stage six

Criterium du Dauphine; stage seven

Criterium du Dauphine; points classification

Criterium du Dauphine; mountains classification

Vuelta a Espana; stage five

Vuelta a Espana; stage eight

Vuelta a Burgos; stage two

Vuelta a Burgos; overall

Tour of the Basque Country; stage one

2010

Vuelta a Espana, stage 14

Tour de France, stage 12

Vuelta al Pais Vasco, stage 5

GP Miguel Indurain

Volta a Catalunya

2009

Vuelta a Burgos, stage 2

Tirreno-Adriatico, stage 4

2008

Tirreno-Adriatico, stage 3

2007

GP Villafranca de Ordizia

Spanish National Road Race Championships

Klasika Primavera Amorebieta

2006

Paris-Nice, stage 5

2005

Vuelta a Espana - mountains classification

Urkiola Igoera

2004

Setmana Catalana

2003

Vuelta a Espana, stage 8

Paris-Nice, stage 6

Related links

Cycling Weekly's rider profiles: Index