A final decision still hasn't been made but it seems increasingly likely that Joaquim Rodriguez will line up at the Tour de France. However, Katusha manager makes it clear that the Spaniard will not focus on the general classification but will target a stage win, probably in the third week.

Joaquim Rodriguez saw his Giro campaign get to an abrupt halt when he crashed out of the race on the rainy sixth stage. The Spaniard had originally targeted the Giro-Vuelta double and was set to miss the Tour de France where he finished third 12 months ago.

While he recovers from his broken ribs, however, it becomes more and more likely that Rodriguez will now include La Grande Boucle in his schedule. Last weekend Katusha manager Viacheslav Ekimov told Italian television that a final decision had not yet been made but that his participation was a possibility.

This has led to speculation that the Spaniard may try to finish on the podium for the second year in a row but in an interview with Velonews, Ekimov refuses that suggestion. The main target for Rodriguez is now the Vuelta a Espana and if he lined up at the Tour, it will mainly be to prepare for his home race.

“He returned to train [last] week, and we’ll decide soon,” Ekimov said. “If he does the Tour, it will be to try to win a stage, and prepare for the Vuelta a España.”

If he does  the Tour, Rodriguez is likely to be short of condition in the first part of the race but should get better in the second half. The final week is loaded with big mountain stages in the Pyrenees that should offer Rodriguez plenty of terrain to prove his talents.

For the GC, Katusha is set to be led by Simon Spilak and Yury Trofimov.