"I left the Tour de France wanting to have done something more" - Carlos Rodriguez with point to prove at 2024 Vuelta a Espana
Cycling
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."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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A technical sprint finish at #LaVuelta24 saw Josh and Jhony crash with 2 km to go, losing them the chance to contest the sprint. Both fortunately suffered no fractures but have significant skin abrasions. They will be monitored overnight and checked again in the morning, but
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