Joaquim Rodríguez facts for kids
Rodríguez at the 2013 Tour de France
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| Personal information | |||
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| Full name | Joaquim Rodríguez Oliver | ||
| Nickname | El Purito | ||
| Born | 12 May 1979 Barcelona, Spain |
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| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 6+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Weight | 57 kg (126 lb; 9 st 0 lb) | ||
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| Rider type | Climbing specialist Puncheur |
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| Major wins | |||
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Joaquim Rodríguez Oliver (born on May 12, 1979) is a famous Spanish cyclist. He competed in road bicycle racing from 2001 to 2016. He rode for teams like ONCE, Saunier Duval, Caisse d'Epargne, and Katusha.
After retiring from road racing, Joaquim started competing in mountain bike racing. He even created his own mountain bike team called Andbank–La Purito.
Rodríguez achieved many great things in his career. He won 14 stages in major races called Grand Tours. He also finished on the podium (top three) five times in these big races. He was second in the 2012 Giro d'Italia and the 2015 Vuelta a España. He finished third in the 2010 Vuelta a España, 2012 Vuelta a España, and the 2013 Tour de France.
He was ranked the number one cyclist in the world in 2010, 2012, and 2013. He also won important one-day races, known as Classics, like La Flèche Wallonne and the Giro di Lombardia (twice!). Joaquim also won stage races such as the Volta a Catalunya (twice), the 2015 Tour of the Basque Country, and the 2011 Vuelta a Burgos.
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About Joaquim Rodríguez
Joaquim Rodríguez was born in Barcelona, Spain. His father was also an amateur cyclist in the 1960s. Joaquim later moved to the Basque Country. There, he joined an amateur cycling team called Iberdrola. This team was connected to a professional team, ONCE.
The Story Behind His Nickname
Joaquim's nickname in the cycling world is Purito. This means "little cigar" in Spanish. He got this name during a training camp when he was a new professional rider.
During a climb, he passed his teammates. He made a hand gesture as if he was smoking a cigar. This meant he was climbing easily, without much effort. His teammates didn't like the gesture. Later, they made him smoke a real cigar as a joke!
Joaquim's Professional Cycling Journey
Starting with ONCE (2000–2003)
Joaquim became a professional cyclist in 2001 with the ONCE team. He had ridden for them as a stagiaire (a trainee) in late 2000. In his first year, he won the Escalada a Montjuïc race in Barcelona.
In 2003, he won a stage in the Paris–Nice race. He also helped his team win team time trials at the Volta a Catalunya and the Vuelta a España. A team time trial is when a whole team races against the clock together.
Riding for Saunier Duval (2004–2005)
In 2004, Joaquim joined the Saunier Duval team. He won the Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme, a stage race in Catalonia. The next year, he won the Subida a Urkiola race. He also won the Mountains classification in the Vuelta a España. This means he was the best climber in that race. He finished second in two other races that year.
Time with Caisse d'Epargne (2006–2009)
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Joaquim moved to the Caisse d'Epargne team in 2006. He won a stage in the Paris–Nice race. In 2007, he became the Spanish National Road Race Champion. He also won the Klasika Primavera and Prueba Villafranca de Ordizia races.
In 2008, he won a very tough stage in Tirreno–Adriatico. The climb was super steep, with parts over 20%! Many riders had to get off their bikes and run. But Joaquim rode straight up it. He also finished well in other big races like the Amstel Gold Race and Liège–Bastogne–Liège. He ended up sixth overall in the Vuelta a España.
In 2009, he won another stage in Tirreno–Adriatico. He finished second in Liège–Bastogne–Liège. He also won a stage in the Vuelta a Burgos. He earned a bronze medal at the World Road Race Championships in Switzerland.
Years with Katusha (2010–2016)
2010: A Top Year
In 2010, Joaquim joined the Russian Katusha team. This meant he would be a main rider in big races like the Tour de France. Early in the year, he won the Volta a Catalunya. He also won the GP Miguel Induráin and a stage in the Tour of the Basque Country. He finished second in La Flèche Wallonne.
At the Tour de France, he won a stage that ended with a tough uphill finish. He finished eighth overall in the Tour. He continued his strong year by finishing fourth overall in the Vuelta a España, winning another stage. He was the leader of the race for a while. Joaquim ended 2010 as the number one ranked cyclist in the world!
2011: Focusing on the Vuelta
In 2011, Joaquim won a stage in the Tour of the Basque Country. He finished second to Philippe Gilbert in two important races, the Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne. He also finished fifth in the Giro d'Italia.
He won two stages in the Critérium du Dauphiné. He also won the points and mountains classifications there. Joaquim decided not to race the Tour de France to focus on the Vuelta a España. He was seen as a top contender to win the Vuelta. He won two stages in the Vuelta and wore the leader's jersey for a short time. He finished the season with a third place at the Giro di Lombardia.
2012: Close Calls and Big Wins
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In April 2012, Joaquim won La Flèche Wallonne in Belgium. He made an amazing climb on the Mur de Huy. He also finished second in the Tour of the Basque Country.
He carried his great form into the Giro d'Italia. He won two stages and finished second overall, losing by only 16 seconds! He wore the pink jersey (leader's jersey) for many days. He also won the points classification jersey.
In the Vuelta a España, Joaquim won three stages. He wore the red leader's jersey for a long time. He had exciting battles with Alberto Contador on steep climbs. He would often attack and win. However, he lost time in a later stage and finished third overall.
Later that year, Joaquim won the Giro di Lombardia. He attacked on the final climb and rode alone to the finish line. This win also helped him become the number one ranked cyclist in the 2012 UCI World Tour.
2013: Tour de France Podium
In 2013, Joaquim started his season well. He won a stage in the Tour of Oman. He also won a stage in Tirreno–Adriatico. He finished second in the Volta a Catalunya and Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
He then aimed for a high finish in the Tour de France. He started quietly but got stronger as the race went on. He moved up in the rankings after strong performances on mountain stages. On the last mountain stage, he finished second. Joaquim ended up finishing third overall in the Tour de France! This was a huge achievement.
After the Tour, he raced the Vuelta a España. He won a stage and finished fourth overall. He then competed in the World Championships. He was very close to winning, but another rider caught him in the last kilometer. One week later, he got his revenge by winning the Giro di Lombardia for the second year in a row.
2014: Another Volta a Catalunya Win
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Joaquim won the Volta a Catalunya for the second time in his career. He also won a stage there. He had to leave the Giro d'Italia early due to a crash. He finished fourth overall in the Vuelta a España.
2015: Double Tour de France Stages
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In 2015, Joaquim won two stages in the Tour of the Basque Country. He then won the overall race! He also finished fourth in La Flèche Wallonne and third in Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
In the Tour de France, Joaquim won two stages. One was on the famous Mur de Huy climb. The other was a mountain stage to Plateau de Beille. He also finished second overall in the Vuelta a España. He won the combination classification in that race.
2016: Retirement Season
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Joaquim announced that 2016 would be his last season. He aimed for a top ten finish in the Tour de France. He started strong and was in third place after the first mountain stage. He eventually finished seventh overall in his final Tour de France. On the last stage, he was honored by leading the peloton onto the Champs-Élysées.
After the Tour, he finished fourth in the Clásica de San Sebastián. He also competed in the Rio Olympics. He finished fifth in the Olympic road race. He then confirmed his retirement.
After Retirement: Team Ambassador
In late 2016, it was announced that Joaquim would join the Bahrain–Merida team. He would first be a rider for a short time. Then, he would join the team's staff as an ambassador. However, he decided to fully retire from racing in December 2016. He still became an ambassador for the team, helping and representing them.
Images for kids
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Rodriguez at the 2010 Tour de France
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Rodríguez at the 2011 Critérium du Dauphiné
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Rodríguez (right), wearing the maglia rosa (pink jersey) of the general classification leader, at the 2012 Giro d'Italia
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Rodriguez at the 2014 Tour de France
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Rodriguez at the 2015 Tour de France
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Rodríguez at the 2016 Tour de France
See also
In Spanish: Joaquim Rodríguez para niños
