Koldo snubbed WorldTour duo for Garmin

Despite an injury-ravaged 2011, Koldo Fernández was a much-sought after rider this winter. The sprinter, who eventually opted for heavyweight Garmin-Cervélo, reveals he rejected overtures from at least two other WorldTour rivals before settling on the American outfit.

"The team is well structured and strong - they showed as much by winning the teams classification at last year's Tour de France. I liked Garmin right from the start, so I therefore turned down offers from Katusha and Quick Step", the 29-year-old told El Correo.

Fernández will start off 2012 at the Mallorca Challenge, before heading to Algarve, Almería, a race in France and then Paris-Nice. Later on, he's down for Catalunya, Romandie and the Dauphiné. And the Tour?

"I would love to go back to the Tour de France", he admitted. "But it depends on my state of form."

How he acquits himself as Tyler Farrar's right-hand man in the months leading up to the Grand Boucle, though, is likely to be just as important as his form. If he should miss out, he's likely to line up at the Vuelta instead.