Has INEOS disrespected Carlos Rodriguez? Shock Tour de France snub raises fresh doubts over Spanish star’s future

Few could have imagined news like this just four days before the start of the Tour de France. INEOS have left Carlos Rodriguez out of their line-up, a decision that has surprised many because of the timing and raised an unavoidable question: has the British team disrespected the rider from Granada?

Beyond the sporting decision itself, what stands out is that Rodriguez has been, for better or worse, INEOS’ best Tour de France rider in recent years, especially since Geraint Thomas stopped being a general classification contender. That makes it difficult to understand how a rider with that weight inside the team can be left out of the most important race on the calendar just days before it begins.

There is, however, also a more positive reading. Rodriguez has spent several months unable to find his best level, and perhaps this break could help him prepare calmly for the Vuelta a Espana.

The big unknown will be whether INEOS give him the leadership there that he appears to have lost ahead of the Tour. If the team really still trusts him, the Spanish Grand Tour should become his major objective.

INEOS’ choice also leaves another question open. The British team head to the Tour with Thymen Arensman, Egan Bernal and Kevin Vauquelin as their main mountain references. Vauquelin arrives after producing a strong Tour last year with seventh place, although he showed more ability to resist than to fight for the podium. Arensman, for his part, failed to reach the podium at a Giro d’Italia that seemed like a good opportunity, while Bernal shone as a luxury domestique, but also gave the impression that he is no longer ready to fight for a Tour top 10.

That is precisely why Rodriguez’s absence is even more surprising. It was not so long ago that he was the last INEOS rider capable of winning a stage at the Tour de France, taking that spectacular victory between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. Everything pointed towards him being back at the start, especially after it seemed clear at the beginning of the season that he would combine the Tour and the Vuelta. The news caught practically everyone by surprise.

It is also true that the context inside the team has changed a great deal. INEOS’ signings have gradually pushed the Spaniard aside. With the arrivals of Vauquelin and Oscar Onley, the feeling was that Rodriguez had stopped being part of the British squad’s future plans as a leader. Staying in the team to take on a domestique role seems complicated both for the rider himself and for a structure that made a significant financial effort to renew him.

Another possible explanation lies in INEOS’ focus on the opening time trial. The British team present one of the strongest squads to try to take the first yellow jersey thanks to riders such as Filippo Ganna, Joshua Tarling and Tobias Foss. If Vauquelin’s place was practically assured because of his strong 2025 Tour, and Arensman was certain after his two stage wins, the final place seemed to be between Bernal and Rodriguez. In the end, the Colombian was chosen.

However, the sporting reality should not be ignored either. Rodriguez’s trajectory has lost momentum since that brilliant start. In 2022, he already showed his enormous talent by fighting for the podium at the Vuelta a Espana before a crash relegated him to sixth place. In 2023 came the definitive breakthrough, with his Tour stage victory and fifth place overall. In 2024 he still delivered a notable season, with wins at the Dauphine and Romandie, as well as finishing seventh at the Tour and tenth at the Vuelta.

The real problem has come since 2025. The results have dipped and crashes have become a constant. At Romandie, he went from winning the race to finishing sixth; at the Dauphine he lost prominence, and at the Tour he was again hampered by a crash when he was already far from the general classification. This 2026 season has also failed to bring back his best sensations, and once again mishaps on the bike have appeared at important moments. The feeling is that it is no longer only bad luck, but a loss of confidence that ends up affecting his performance.

Although missing the Tour is a very hard blow both for Rodriguez and for Spanish cycling, there is still room to turn the situation around. A calendar with races where he can recover confidence, win again and reach the Vuelta a Espana with ambition could be the path to proving that he still has the level to lead a major team.

What seems beyond dispute is that the decision leaves many questions open. If INEOS no longer fully trusted Carlos Rodriguez, why wait until four days before the Tour to communicate it? That is the question fuelling the debate, and the one that makes many wonder whether, beyond the sporting decision, the British team have ended up disrespecting one of the riders who has brought them the most joy in the most important race in the world.