Angel Vicioso is a survivor. Nothing has been able to kill his passion for cycling even though he has been through lots of obstacles. He suffered his latest serious crash in the Giro d'Italia and suffered a triple fracture of the femur which forced him to end his season. Now he goes into next year, his 17th season at the top level, with the same enthusiasm as always and in his fourth year with Katusha, his main priority is to work for Joaquim Rodriguez even though the Spaniard has not lost his personal ambitions at the age of 37.

Despite not having started a race since May 15 when he suffered a serious crash on the roads to Montecassino near the end of stage 7 of the Giro d'Italia, Angel Vicioso still feels like a professional rider.

"The truth is I have no discomfort and no pain. I train normally. It is as if I had not broken my femur in three places. The rehabilitation has been hard, but when I have completed 70%, it is due to the surgery in Rome. Four days after the operation, I tried to ride on the rollers. I was not even able to make half a pedalstroke and that day I was left thinking that i would never ride my bike again," Vicoso tells BiciCiclismo from his home in Andorra.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Vicioso began his recovery. 

"I did not think that I would not succeed at any point because I had a lot of motivation and desire. I even read that Angel Vicioso would not come back but I knew that I would return. Indeed, I am quite sure that I will return to my previous level. Without any dount. I wanted to race and I wanted to go to Beijing. But the team told me that I had recovered well and that I should focus on next year. In the last days of the season, I trained normally," he says.

In any case, he has never considered retirement. The thought has not even entered his head even though he suffered hard crashes in both the 2013 adn 2014 Giro.

"I have the same desire as when I started. Look at the cold weather here in Andorra and I can train easily. I hope and I know that I have a good level and it was never going through my head that I have to retire."

In February, he will not have done any racing for nine months and he is looking forward to his comeback.

"I want to start racing again. I know it will be hard because it has been a long time since May. We will decide my schedule at the training camp in Calpe. I am ambitious. And I am sure I will return to my level and I think I will be competitive to win races as I have always been," he says.

However, since he arrived at the Russian team, his role has changed. He is now supporting his leader and his last win was a stage of the 2011 Giro d'Italia.

"Since I joined Katusha, I haven't won a single race. Let's see if I will win one this year. I have still got my reward. I also have to say that it is hard to win but when you do a season without any wins, yoy say 'I worked well but I've missed something.'"

Now Vicioso feels like a complete rider. He trains again and has a normal life as a professional. He has put the long and intense months of working on the recovery of his leg behind him.

"The process has been long. Hours of rehabilitation, hours in the pool, and much sacrifice. But every day I saw that it got better and that motivated me to continue. From 9:00 to 11:00 I did two two hours of rehabilitation and from 11.00 to 13.30 or 14.00, I was working in the pool, with specific exercises in the water. Often I put a weight on the waist. Since I started with the pool, I noticed a lot of improvement. I spent many, many hours in the water," he says.

He remember his first bike ride in mid-July, two months after his crash.

"It was on the mountain bike. My seat was higher than usual to make the leg more straight and reduce the amount of rotation. I went with my wife, slowly, slowly, 25 or 30 kilometers." 

For months, he has been suffering on the couch.

"It was especially hard to watch the Vuelta on TV. The Tour was easier," he says.

In 2012, Vicioso returned to the highest level at Katusha after several years at Relax, LA, Andalusia and Androni.

"I felt I was back in a big team, doing important races. We all say that while you ride, you feel like a professional but in such a team, the feeling is stronger," he admits.

At Katusha, he is part of a strong Spanish group with Joaquim Rodriguez, Alberto Losada and Daniel Moreno.

"That motivates me to sacrifice myself, train hard to reach my previous level and help out Purito," he tells Biciciclismo.

Vicioso is full of praise of Rodriguez.

"What can I say about Joaquim? He helped be return to the highes level. All the good things I say will never be enough. He said 'You will go to Katusha'. He is very grateful and demanding. All bosses demand their employees to perform at 100%.And when there is no messing around, he is the best."

And he admits that is has hurt to see his captain perform below his usual level, having been set back by crashes and injuries.

"Not that I would have done the work any better or worse than my teammates but I always like to give 110%. I though "If I were there, I could lend a hand." It does not make sense to think that he will not return to his level. This year he has been set back. He has not been able to train in the best conditions. He crashed in Amstel and the Giro. He has had two oustanding seasons in a row. And we must understand that not all seasons are identical."

Vicioso is sure that Rodriguez will return to his best.

"Between the Giro and the Tour, I would like to see him on the podium of the Tour de France. It seems to be a Tour tailor-made for him. He could not have desined it better. I haven't done the Tour since 2004 and I would like to do it again but I also want to do the Vuelta. After the season I have had, I will do what the team asks me to do. I do not demand anything," he says.