Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) is preparing his second grand tour of the season in Andorra and hopes to go better than last year's 3rd at the Vuelta. However, the tiny Spaniard has not had the best sensation in recent days but hopes that his legs will come around in time for the big three-week race.

For the first time since 2010, Rodriguez has raced the Tour de France but his participation in the world's biggest race doesn't mean that he will skip the Vuelta a Espana. Having rested up after his first grand tour of the season, he has now returned to his preferred training terrain in Andorra to prepare for his next three-week race.

When he last raced the Tour-Vuelta double in 2010, he performed well in Spain, performing well and leading the race until a disastrous time trial relegated him to 4th. Unlike Alejandro Valverde who also targets the double and raced in Clasica San Sebastian, Rodriguez has preferred not to race at all in between his two big races.

However, the Spaniard is not at all satisfied with his recent feelings.

"The truth is that I hoped to be something better," Rodriguez told Marca." The first week seemed to be going pretty well but during the second I have suffered from fatigue."

He is preparing differently for his second three-week race than he did for the first one.

"The training sessions are perhaps not as aggressive as they were prior to the Tour because I already have the racing speed," he told. "It's more about accumulating hours on the bike, do a little work on my time trial bike because the Vuelta time trial will be very important and then just enjoy my bike and not lose the condition from the Tour."

Rodriguez has finished on the podium in his three most recent grand tours and hopes to continue the trend.

"Hopefully, I will make progress and continue to get onto the podium in the grand tours" he said. "The team is very good and will be quite similar to the Tour but we will be reinforced by Angel Vicioso who has recovered from his Giro crash. I think we will have a great team."

Asked to point out his main rivals, he mentioned Michele Scarponi, Ivan Basso, Vincenzo Nibali, Alejandro Valverde and Samuel Sanchez.

The Vuelta starts on August 24 with a team time trial in Galicia.