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.
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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.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Mmmm would he be making these comments when he was on the richest team when riding. I think not i suspect. If we want money put into the sport we need sponsors who are prepared to put the money in. No disrespect but his team are 2nd or 3rd div in football terms with riders over the hill or 2nd string riders. If i was a sponsor i would be looking at what publicity am i getting back and Tudor really are just making up the numbers really.paultryan200214-11-2026
- I see (elsewhere) that Alaphilippe had more to say than what got relayed in this stub. Me: he was very good early but his latter third trajectory was the pits. His old boss did what he could (huffed and puffed) but Julian couldn't get his greatness back. Sometimes I wonder if crashes that didn't look like much changed the course of the rider.flyer14-11-2026
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- Sounds like we all agree with the over under exaggeration: "The German’s signing does not guarantee that Evenepoel will win the Tour in 2027. "flyer14-11-2026
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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 👊
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