"I'm here to win" - Carlos Rodríguez looking to end disaster spell and bring success to INEOS once again
CyclingFriday, 13 February 2026 at 14:00
INEOS Grenadiers is starting the Tour de la Provence today with high ambitions, having Dorian Godon and Axel Laurance to fight for the hilly and sprint stages; whilst on paper Carlos Rodríguez is a major contender for the overall classification. However, this will largely depend on how his form sits after seven months without competition after his Tour de France crash.
The breakthrough star of the 2023 Tour was not able to replicate his success in neither 2024 or 2025. Last summer he looked to be on route to at least finish in the Top10 of the Tour de France, however a crash on stage 17 into Valence spelled the end of his season. A fractured pelvis saw him needing to take significant time off the bike, cancelling his plans to race the Vuelta a España. The Spaniard has not raced since July now.
However, he states that he is no longer feeling the effects of the crash. "It was a long rehabilitation process due to the location of the fracture, but it doesn't bother me anymore," Rodríguez said in a press release. "I'm 100% ready and hopefully I can show that in the first races of the season."
His Grand Tour goals for later in the year are not yet decided, but he will race Paris-Nice and Volta a Catalunya, where he will measure where he stands amongst his peers. Hence, he will want to take confidence from the Tour de la Provence, in which he is given the leading role for INEOS. The stage 2 summit finish at Montagne de Lure, 13.7 kilometers at 6.4%, will be a proper test to his form and that of all climbers in the race.
"I'm here to win, of course. Provence is the first race in a long time," he added. "The main thing is to get into racing rhythm. Everyone is motivated to take another step forward this season; the atmosphere is really good. It still feels the same; everyone is super motivated."
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