The young Spaniard of Murcia, José Joaquín Rojas, took the second place of the third stage of the Tour of Poland, and is happy with his form. Despite bad organization and a slight lack of power in the engine room, the Caisse d'Epargne rider finished behind German David Kopp (Gerolsteiner) and Belgian Wouter Weylandt (Quick.Step - Innergetic) after 192.2 kilometres of racing.
"I was very close to victory," explained Rojas after he crossed the line in Gdansk. "The finish was very complicated because of the bad organization. At one kilometre and a half from the line, there was a car in the middle of the road, which obliged us to pass over the rails of the tram."
Six months ago Rojas took his first professional win at home in the Vuelta a Murcia. Yesterday, far from the laid-back atmosphere of southern Spain, he found himself well placed for the final dash.
"I was able to have a good placing to dispute the sprint, and under the red flag of the last kilometre I was in fourth-fifth position. I came very well out of the last curve, but I missed a little something to be able to pass Kopp before the line."
Rojas continues to push for his second victory of the year. "I hope that other opportunities will arise, because I feel myself very well and I really hope that the important victory I have been trying to reach for a while will arrive."
