"There's a long way to go" - Carlos Rodríguez has Tour de France on his mind as he blows hot and cold at Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Carlos Rodríguez assessed his Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes - the former Critérium du Dauphiné - ahead of the final stage, stressing the race’s role as preparation for the Tour de France, while not ruling out chasing a strong result on the last day.

The Spanish rider explained that his focus here was clearly on building form: “To be honest, I came here with the intention of preparing for the Tour,” he told Cycling Pro Net, acknowledging that his sensations have been uneven through the week.

“I’ve felt good at times, but at others I’ve lacked energy, like yesterday at the finish. It’s a preparation race,” he added, making it clear that his performance hasn’t always been at the expected level.

Rodríguez also pointed to a broader context of illness in the peloton, while not confirming any personal impact: “There’s quite a bit of sickness in the peloton. I don’t know if that might have influenced things, but so far I haven’t noticed anything in particular,” he explained.

In that sense, he stressed that he’s still racing because of how he feels right now: “I haven’t had any symptoms, that’s why I’m still competing. We’ll see how it goes today.”

As for how the last stage might unfold, the INEOS rider anticipated a demanding day with constant climbing and descending and a hard fight for the general classification.

“It’s going to be quite a tough day, up and down all the time, with teams trying to make the race harder to achieve their GC goals,” he analysed.

In that context, he said, breakaway chances or gaining time will be limited: “It will be hard to make the break or take time, but we’ll give everything to try to seize our chance.”

Finally, Rodríguez highlighted the day’s last climb as a benchmark against the peloton’s best, a common reference point in these pre-Tour races: “Probably yes, it’s an important test with a very strong field. It gives you an idea of what might happen at the Tour, even though there’s still a long way to go,” he concluded.