Rojas back on green fight
12 July 2011

Spanish champion recovered from virus, takes 3rd in Carmaux and shortens 28 points on Gilbert for points jersey race Happily recovered from the virus that was close to sending him home during the stage on Sunday and avoided him training yesterday during the first rest day, José Joaquín Rojas was back on the fight for victory during stagr 10 of the Tour de France, finishing in Carmaux. The Movistar Team fastman came in rd across the finish line, just behind Greipel (OLO) and Cavendish (HTC); the final sprint, combined with the points earned at the supersprint, have taken him back into the contest for the green jersey.

 Rojas is now 17 points -he gained 28 today- behind the leader, Belgian champion Philippe Gilbert, the same gap between the two before a terrible stage 9 for the Spanish champion. “It was a super important day for me, specially to gain some morale, because after nearly seeing death when it comes to race two days ago, I felt really worried about having to leave the race. This third place is pure glory for me and takes me back to the moment of form I was going through, plus it confirms that it was the virus what hurt me on Sunday. I was felling better this morning, but was still doubtful because I had seen myself so bad… I needed a stage like today’s to check if the legs werr working. At the sprint, I was on Cavendish’s wheel with 2k left, but that’s the wheel everyone wants and they took me out of place at the finish. I went a bit back into the group and knew I had to take chances in the final turn. I came through the outside to gain places, but went so aggresively that I had to brake more than them, and that gap to Greipel’s wheel was almost impossible to overcome. I took many points back on the fight for green, but the most worrying thing was confidence. There’s still a 2-week trip for the green jersey, and we have to stay fighting day by day.”

Also Andrey Amador had a softer ride that in previous stages, thanks to the 24-hour rest he could take to heal his spraint right ankle: “I felt myself a bit better, the rest day did good on me, but wasn’t really a miracle. Pain and hurt are still there.” Wednesday will offer the last chance for the sprinters before the Pirenaic stages, with 167 kilometers from Blaye-les-Mines to Lavaur and only two cols across the route.