Carlos Rodriguez abandons 2025 Tour de France with fractured pelvis; Vuelta & World Championship now look unlikely

Carlos Rodríguez has been forced to abandon the 2025 Tour de France after fracturing his pelvis in a crash during Stage 17. The INEOS Grenadiers rider went down around 50 kilometres from the finish in an incident involving Julian Alaphilippe, and though he managed to complete the stage, further medical assessment has confirmed the extent of his injuries.

Rodríguez will not only miss the remainder of the Tour but is also expected to sit out the rest of the 2025 season, ruling him out of key targets including the Vuelta a España and the UCI World Championships.

The 24-year-old had been riding consistently and was sitting inside the top 10 overall when the crash occurred. Despite not quite hitting top form during the race, he had contributed significantly to INEOS’s efforts — notably helping teammate Thymen Arensman to a stage victory and coming close to taking one himself.

Rodríguez had been slated to co-lead INEOS at the Vuelta later this summer and was also expected to be a key figure for Spain at the World Championships in Rwanda — a hilly course that suited his strengths. However, recovery from a fractured pelvis typically requires several months, bringing his 2025 campaign to an early end.

This marks the first Grand Tour that Rodríguez has not completed in his professional career. He had previously finished in the top 10 at all four of the three-week races he had started, including fifth at the 2023 Tour and sixth at the 2022 Vuelta.

The crash brings a frustrating conclusion to what has been a stop-start season for Rodríguez, who has struggled to find consistent rhythm after dealing with physical setbacks earlier in the year. His 2025 results include sixth at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, a DNF at the UAE Tour due to another crash, 33rd at Liège–Bastogne–Liège, sixth at the Tour de Romandie (where he was defending champion), and ninth at the Critérium du Dauphiné.

Having gradually worked his way back into form at the Tour after a slow start, Rodríguez looked poised to mount a challenge for a high GC placing in the final mountain stages. Instead, he now faces a long recovery process — with his sights set firmly on returning to full strength in 2026.