Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) fulfilled his dream of stepping onto the only  grand tour podium which had so far eluded him when he crossed the finish line in Paris to secure his third place in the Tour de France. Having finished on the podium in his three most recent grand tours, he is delighted to show consistency and now targets his first ever grand tour win in his home race, the Vuelta a Espana.

When the mountainous route for this year's Tour de France was unveiled in October, Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) saw a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to finally get onto the only grand tour podium that had so far eluded him. He changed his usual season schedule to focus everything on the Tour de France and was even prepared to leave Katusha when the uncertainty over the team's license put their participation in the Tour in doubt.

Today he safely crossed the finish line on the Champs-Elysees to secure the 3rd place he took hold off in yesterday's final mountain stage. Having fulfilled a life-long dream, he beamed when he stepped onto the podium and was full of gratefulness towards his team and teammates. He overcame a crash in the first week and a lack of form in the Pyrenees to finally show his true value in the Alps.

"I'm so happy with this podium," he said. "It's really something special, considering the first week. I know this result is very important for Katusha, for Russia and especially for Mr. Igor Makarov (leader of the Katusha team, ed.): it's thanks to him that I can take these kind of results, so this podium is also dedicated to him. I also have to thank my teammates: their huge work helped me to close the gap in the general classification."

Last year Rodriguez finished 2nd in the Giro and 3rd in the Vuelta and so he has made it into the top 3 in his three most recent grand tours. That consistency was a reason to be extra proud of his performance.

 "I think I once again proved my consistency: it's the third grand tour podium in a row," he said. "The fact that I took it in the Tour de France after the troubles of the first week makes it even more special."

While the two riders that finished ahead of him on GC, Chris Froome (Sky) and Nairo Quintana (Movistar), have no intentions of riding the Vuelta a Espana, Rodriguez has some unfinished business in his big home race. He has set his sights on the overall win which narrowly eluded him last year.

"Now I'll get ready for the Vuelta a Espana," he said. "It won't be easy. I will be up against some great riders such as Vincenzo Nibali, Alejandro Valverde and Ivan Basso. But our team is strong, and we'll do our best to win the general classification."