By Antonio J. Salmerón
Caisse d'Epargne's José Joaquín Rojas will return to competition this weekend at Milano-Sanremo, having endured a recent setback and subsequent recovery. Rojas is a rider suited to the punchy parcours on offer in Italy's beloved Classic.
A deviation of the patella in his left leg and an overload on the right kneecap – a result of two falls in the Challenge de Mallorca in February – had put him out of competition. The talented Spanish sprinter, who picked up third overall and the best young rider classification at the Tour Down Under in January, looked to be in great condition and in a position to challenge for further honours following his success in Australia.
Rojas has suffered a number of complications as a result of his injuries, including episodes of vertigo, all of which have prevented him training as normal.
"It seems that I'm back to normal, though the dizziness is not completely gone," Rojas told Cyclingnews. "I asked Unzué to be in the squad [for Sanremo] because I feel a sense of responsibility [as the team's sprinter] and because I believe I am ready to continue with my schedule of races.
"I could not ride Tirreno-Adriatico, but being in Milano-Sanremo will help me speed up my preparation for the Tour of Flanders, Gent-Wevelgem and Paris-Roubaix."
Two days after Sanremo, Rojas will ride the Vuelta a Castilla y León. "There's always mountainous terrain in this race, but I think I may have a couple of opportunities to sprint. There's supposed to be a bit of competition in Castilla and Leon, and I often ride good mountains."
The 23-year-old also aspires to ride the centennial Giro d'Italia in May. "I debuted in a Grand Tour when I rode the 2007 Giro, but unlike then, now my intention is to go as far as possible, as long as I'm in a position we thought was possible when designing my calendar for 2009. That may be in doubt now though, after stopping competition for some time.
"Still, I think I did a very good job preparing for winter as I showed in the Tour Down Under and the Challenge de Mallorca, where due to the aftermath of the fall I couldn't defend my leadership of the race. But the large base of work is there, and now I'm seeking a recovery of my best form again."
