09/07/2024

Carlos Rodríguez and INEOS still aim for top result at Tour de France - "Tadej, Remco and Jonas have shown to be a bit ahead of the rest"

After the first week of the Tour de France 2024, Carlos Rodriguez is currently seventh in the general classification, 2:31 behind Tadej Pogacar and 1:16 behind Jonas Vingegaard on the podium. But INEOS Grenadiers have not let their guard down and their ambitions have not changed after the first week of the race; they continue to eye the podium.

The rider from Granada finished the Galibier stage close to Jonas Vingegaard, losing 37 seconds to Pogacar and 2 to Evenepoel, Roglic and Ayuso. In the time trial, clearly the facet of his cycling that he needs to improve the most, he finished 17th, 1:27 behind Remco Evenepoel, hence his disadvantage in the general classification at the moment. In statements collected by Relevo, the man from Almuñecar is positive with the behavior he has had so far and with his confidence intact:

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"At the moment everything is going well. Tadej, Remco and Jonas have shown to be a bit ahead of the rest and have caught us some time. I'm calm and self-confident. The important thing is that we haven't had any problems these days and that the team is working very well". On the gravel stage, INEOS Grenadiers is one of the teams that spent the most time near the front of the peloton, and kept their young leader well present and away from danger.

In EFE, Rodríguez also said he was very satisfied with his Tour so far: "I'm happy with how the Tour has gone so far. The mountain stages are still to come, although some differences have already been made. The most important thing is that we haven't encountered any setbacks yet."

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Egan Bernal, positive

Egan Bernal, Carlos's top-notch co-leader is clear that nothing should be taken for granted and that anything can happen in the Grande Boucle, as he commented in Marca: "In addition to the legs, you have to wait for the right moment. I think no one is invincible and that has already been proven. Vingegaard has beaten Pogacar."

So, we'll see what happens when the first two high mountain stages of the Tour de France 2024 arrive this coming weekend. That's where we'll see the real level of Rodriguez and the INEOS Grenadiers team with the likes of Egan Bernal, Geraint Thomas, Laurens de Plus and Tom Pidcock.