One of the big hopes of Spanish cycling at their home Grand Tour, former national champion Carlos Rodriguez has a point to prove at the 2024 Vuelta a Espana after a somewhat disappointing Tour de France showing earlier in the summer.
"I have to be happy with what I did. I arrived in good shape. I was up there in front until an illness in the third week meant my body didn't respond. I left wanting to have done something more, but that will help me here in La Vuelta to get that extra bit," the INEOS Grenadiers leader says in conversation with Marca. "But I also come with the challenge of doing my best by taking it day by day to see what kind of shape I'm in. I haven't pushed too hard these days. The little that I have pushed, my body has responded so I think I'm doing well but we'll see as the stages go by."
Two stages down, Rodriguez is still more than in the fight. Despite some time loss in the opening stage individual time trial, the Spaniard is just 29 seconds behind the best placed of the GC contenders, Primoz Roglic. Considering he didn't initially intend to ride his home Grand Tour this year, it's a solid start.
"It was not a last-minute decision. It was not planned at the beginning of the season, but then we thought it could be a good option for the second part," Rodriguez explains of the choice. "It is the first time I have done two Grand Tours in the same year and I want to see how my body responds, because it could be a good experience for the future."
"It's clear that they (Pogacar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel et al.) showed in the Tour that they were a bit better. But it's always good to have strong rivals to have motivation and someone to beat," Rodriguez concludes. "I've tried to get back to my best after the Tour, so hopefully it can come in handy here."
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