INEOS Grenadiers' leader Carlos Rodríguez: "The way of functioning and of setting the objectives are changing"
Cycling
At 23 years of age Carlos Rodríguez had a superb season as the main GC rider for INEOS Grenadiers. He won the queen stages of Itzulia and the Dauphiné, finishing second and fourth in the GC respectively; and the GC at the Tour de Romandie. At the Grand Tours he did not have as much success, and he looks towards that step in 2025.
"The team is undergoing an important change from the structure. We have to adapt. Both the way of functioning and of setting the objectives are changing and we hope that it is for the better," Rodríguez said in an interview with Marca. "We are working to return to being the reference team that we were before. Regarding my season, it could have been better, but I am happy".
The Spaniard took on the Tour de France where he rode to a 7th place, and then the Vuelta a España where he looked to be on the path to finish in the same position, but a bad day in the final mountain stage saw him fall to 10th. Nevertheless, it was a long season with several big wins which he can look back to. Now, he aims for the Tour-Vuelta double again in 2025.
"Yes, initially, the challenge is to do well in the Tour de France, but that is not the only challenge. I would also like to be in La Vuelta afterwards. The idea is to start [the season] in Valencia and then go on to make things more concrete". He will be joined by Egan Bernal who took an important step back to his level this year, but the results are hardly the same due to the sport's recent evoltuion:
"The relationship with Egan is very good. After last year's Tour, where he took it as a recovery to try not to have discomfort, I think he is having good results. He is preparing well, as always, and I think that 2025 could be a great year for him," Rodríguez says.
The pressure on INEOS is on after two rough seasons, but Rodríguez manages it well it seems: "The pressure is to do the best you can and try to win. That's what we train for and make sacrifices for. The team also wants me to do the best I can, but the first person interested is always myself."
After the Vuelta presentation, Rodríguez showed himself eager to make a return to his home Grand Tour. "A route as always very hard and full of opportunities. It is a shame that this year it will not touch the south as in 2024, but there will be opportunities to do it as well as possible. It is going to be a Vuelta conducive to the spectacle that the fans will surely like. I have never been to Angliru and I think it will be nice to be there. I think that, in general terms, it is a good route".
On Pablo Torres, another of Spain's emerging talents, he commented: It is exciting that there are young riders from your own country who are doing well. In addition, Pablo seems like a good person and a good kid although I have not spent much time with him. I would tell him to take it easy these first few years because a cyclist's career is usually long. He should try to learn as much as possible because his time will surely come".
Lastly on the choice of Spain's new national coach between Alejandro Valverde and Óscar Freire, the youngster does not want to choose sides: "The truth is that I am staying out of it. When the news comes out I will find out who the new coach is".
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- I think anyone setting out obsessed to win it is doomed to fail. It only happens to a couple of handfuls every generation, maybe just a handful during anyone’s best career years. We had a period without « outstanding » riders (almost 10 different winners in 10 years) where it would have been easy, he may be resigning himself to the fact he just came along at the « wrong » moments and it may be best to focus on other challenges whilst waiting to see if a good opportunity to win after all comes along. He’s probably weighing choices, copy JV by sacrificing everything for the TdF or do his own programme and hope the right opportunity to win presents itself. He still has time on his side.Mistermaumau02-01-2025
- You expect him to talk about other riders instead? Maybe write to journalists in order to suggest directing better interview with him if you want it to change.Mistermaumau02-01-2025
- I don’t get the Voldemort comment but much appreciate what you wrote. As there was no other return regarding my idea, it seems they’re ok to continue posting in this article and as we have freedom of speech I’ll go OT, if anyone other than you reads on, I warn you, it’s probably a waste of your time, but, your choice ;-). Portugal is a pretty good choice, only negatives are price rises but maybe you bought in time and anyway downscaling from the US or many other EU countries that is just a first world citizen problem, worse is the rising risk of foreigner resentment but in my experience this is more a social and media discussion than an individual one, if you behave correctly (many feel the need of that freedom to behave like they wish and then wonder why others turn against them) you’ll never have personal issues with anyone just because you’re from elsewhere. CH, D, A kill joy, spirit and curiosity, though south CH (Ticino, lake areas) mixes a bit of I mentality and has sun so might be worth exploring. H is sitting on a fence geopolitically, too unclear how it’ll go. Budapest is great and relaxed but nature aside there’s little more of interest to a seasoned traveler. Scandinavia, Iceland, FI GB all very interesting and beautiful but without reasons the weather is too off-putting, yes. F bureaucracy can kill you, most of the Mediterranean places are good if you pick well, many generally ignored issues can become crucial. Greece is often overlooked. Crete as an example would suit me. Have lived in B, NL, F, UK, E, L and spent a lot of time in I, visited friends/travelled to NY, Cali & Hawaii, Barbados, Iceland, Belarus, Turkey, Vietnam, UAE, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda and more than 80% of the rest of Europe. Never had a real problem except with individuals, even during tensions (war/civil unrest). Freedom of speech is an exaggerated problem outside certain very well known places. I mean who of us would feel like standing on a box in public preaching stuff to strangers, do many of us really have such strong agendas to promote? As long as people can talk to each other openly when they feel like it, let’s just live life.Mistermaumau02-01-2025
- i really do relate to your deep concerns about the perils of allowing dangerously manipulative discourse in a largely unchecked way. in the current social/political climate in the US you can FEEL that peril constantly if you’re paying any attention and you’re willing to actually think through it. really, man, i get it. the problem for me, though, is i can’t really find an example of a country that limits/controls/restrains speech via its institutions and institutional state apparatuses that i would actually prefer to live in. all the places i look at and think YUP, I MIGHT WANNA LIVE THERE are countries with levels of free speech that equal (some might argue they exceed) that of the united states. if it weren’t for the incessant cold i’d be totally up for living in denmark, norway or switzerland. i AM going to live at least half the year in portugal (having already bought a house there precisely because my mind is quieter and i feel more peaceful when i’m not in the US), and there are lots of other places that are on that list that all have protected speech to nearly absolute degree. conversely, i NEVER spend ANY time thinking “maybe i’ll take my wife and dogs and move to Belarus.” or russia, or china, or hungary, or central african republic, or yemen, or…” You get the idea. i’m well aware of my ignorance of so many of the world’s cultures, so if there’s somewhere out there that’s figured out how to LIMIT SPEECH and, by doing so, produce a more enlightened, more peaceful and compassionate and HAPPIER way of life for its citizens, then i’ll sell everything and move THERE (as long as there are nice places to pedal a bicycle and they have rideable surf and plenty of sun).OCexile02-01-2025
- He seems to be suggesting that never winning the Tour would be fine because (a) no one else will do the Olympics double that he did, and (b) that double is as good as anything anyone else will achieve. Mind games with self, I think.Renz02-01-2025
- How is it not a team just because they have a $50 million payroll? Ridiculous comment.mij02-01-2025
- How is it not ok??? That makes no sense. The Tour de France is the biggest sporting event in the world, and the top ride makes $6.0 million?? THAT makes no sense.mij02-01-2025
- voldemortOCexile02-01-2025
- Am I mistaken or can every comment by Remco be distilled down into just one word? "Me"Sweep01-01-2025
- If you're going to be a WT rider you don't have any time left over to world class anything else.Sweep01-01-2025