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Rodríguez and Robbie McEwen in, Pozzato out of Katusha’s Tour de France squad

  • By VeloNews.com
  • Published Jun. 25, 2010
  • Updated Aug. 15, 2010 at 9:19 PM UTC

Joaquín Rodríguez will make an overdue Tour de France debut while Filippo Pozzato will not race as Katusha revealed its Tour de France nine-man roster Friday.

Rodríguez has done well at both the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España, but never got a crack at the Tour, which was a large reason why he switched to the Russian-backed Katusha for 2010. Rodríguez enjoyed a breakout spring, winning the Volta a Catalunya, the GP Miguel Indurain, as well as coming third at the Vuelta al País Vasco and second at Flèche Wallonne.

The scrappy Spanish fighter will be the team’s GC co-leader along with Vladimir Karpets. Both will be hoping for a top-10 finish overall and a stage victory.

Back in the Tour after missing last year’s with an injury will be two-time green jersey winner Robbie McEwen. The veteran Australian sprinter will be hoping he can win at least one stage against a new generation of younger stars.

Sergey Ivanov and Alexander Kolobnev, also making his Tour debut, will give the team solid breakaway and stage-hunting options.

Pozzato will race the Vuelta a España instead as part of his major push for the world title in Australia in September.

Katusha for Tour de France

  • Joaquim Rodríguez (Spa)
  • Pavel Brutt (Rus)
  • Sergey Ivanon (Rus)
  • Vladimir Karpets (Rus)
  • Robbie McEwen (Aus)
  • Alexander Kolobnev (Rus)
  • Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel)
  • Eduard Vorganov (Rus)
  • Alexandr Pliuschin (Rus)

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