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Movistar optimistic of signing Carlos Rodríguez: "Let's hope it's feasible for that Spanish star of the future to come"
CyclingTuesday, 18 July 2023 at 15:00
Eusebio Unzue lives an unpleasant second rest day of the Tour de France after the announcement of the abandonment of Matteo Jorgenson and with his team out of the fight for the overall following the fall of its leader, Enric Mas, on the first stage. His mind seems more set on the future of the team with the clear objective of being able to count on Carlos Rodríguez in 2024. In an interview with EFE, the Movistar skipper does not talk about the rumours about the signing of the still INEOS Grenadiers rider for next season.
"We will try to find something to make it feasible for that Spanish star of the future to come," says the head of the only Spanish team in the first division of world cycling, who cites two names, Juan Ayuso and Carlos Rodriguez, although he recalls that the former has many years of commitment with UAE and the latter finishes this year's contract with INEOS.
Unzue knows that International Cycling Union (UCI) regulations prohibit signing any cyclist at this time, but acknowledges that he is looking for a second sponsor so that, along with Movistar, they can give more financial muscle to the team and can support the incoming star rider well.
In his 41st Tour, he knows that things in the world of cycling can change very quickly, but he is convinced that Rodríguez and Ayuso "can consolidate and make cycling continue to be one of the important sports in Spain".
The Movistar boss assures that the current INEOS rider has options to finish third in Paris, "although it won't be easy": "I see him on the podium".
"We also can't forget that he's a 22-year-old kid, not yet mature enough to know how he can behave in a third week," he added.
Unzue acknowledges that the rivalry between Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard and Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar is giving a new impetus to cycling, "because of the way they ride and because they are not so careful about attacking".
"This equality is giving a great equality. I suppose that in the time trial more differences will be marked, otherwise it would be the bomb," he analyzed.
About his team he regretted the fall of Mas but pointed out that the rest of the riders have recovered from the blow and are "doing a worthy Tour that has not had the deserved reward for now".
On the three Spanish victories in this edition, after five years of drought, Unzue said that the start of the Tour in the Basque Country "could serve as an incentive", but he considered that the previous bad streak "was circumstantial" and that "in Spanish sport now the bar is always set very high".
"Our country is a permanent source of talent in any sport," says the Movistar director, who points out that he works to detect the next in cycling because he prefers to "train them rather than buy them trained."
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