Stage 18 was an incredibly aggressive day when it came to the GC fight, but few gaps were actually created in the end. Carlos Rodríguez was perhaps the biggest casualty of the day, however it was a day saved for the Spanish champion taking into consideration the injuries he took to the finish line.
Rodríguez started the day in fourth place after a strong and consistent Vuelta, and found himself at the lead of INEOS Grenadiers. The 21-year old had high ambitions on the day, but was one of the most affected riders of the early crash in the stage which saw Jay Vine and Quentin Pacher abandon the race. Rodríguez had road rash and blood over several spots in his body, and had an extensive visit to the medic's car. It seemed to be a day that could bring down the youngster's GC stint to an end, but he soldiered through the rest of the day to put on an impressive performance.
Rodríguez was dropped towards the summit of the first ascent of the Alto del Piornal but had the help of Tao Geoghegan Hart to regain his position in the GC group. He held on to the group until the very last kilometers of the stage, crossing the line together with Richard Carapaz 1:06 minutes after his main rivals.
Rodríguez has lost his fourth place to Miguel Ángel López and is now 1:35 minutes away from Juan Ayuso who currently holds the last podium position. It was a positive outcome however, taking into consideration how bad the damage may have been.
Not an easy day for me, but luckily all my teammates were incredible. Thank you for all your work today, I’m proud of you. Big thanks also for everyone who cheered me, you gave me the energy I needed to get to the finish 🙏🏻. I’ll keep fighting, this isn’t over yet 👊
