Purito Rodríguez: "At the Cruz de Linares we will see who Jumbo chooses to win the Vuelta a España"
Cycling
Joaquim Rodríguez, a cyclist who came very close in his career to winning the Vuelta a España, has given his opinion on what could happen in stage 18 with the final double climb to the new Cruz de Linares pass;
The Catalan referred to the fight that Sepp Kuss is having against his two teammates Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic to win the race and explained that he believes Jumbo-Visma will reveal its cards to decide who they want to take the red jersey on Sunday in Madrid:
"After Primoz Roglic's victory on the Angliru in a stage marked by his own teammates' attack on Sepp Kuss, the race leader, today at the Cruz de Linares everything will be demonstrated, who is the strongest and who is going to win the Vuelta a España, but above all who Jumbo chooses to win the race, something that is surprising us and at the same time is giving us a lot of spectacle."
Recall that Kuss comes into stage 18 with an eight-second lead over Vingegaard and a minute and eight seconds over Roglic. With fourth, Juan Ayuso, already four minutes back in the general classification and five stages won, we'll see what happens between the three Jumbo men who are playing for the race.
Juan LarraCycling Journalist
Juan Larra is a writer for Cyclinguptodate and editor-in-chief of Ciclismoaldia, where he has played a central role since its inception. Under his leadership, the website has become a trusted source for professional cycling coverage, offering in-depth analysis, news, and feature stories.
A sports journalist with over 20 years of experience, Juan earned his degree in Journalism from the University of Seville in 2007. He began his career covering a wide range of sports—including football, basketball, Formula 1, MotoGP, tennis, and cycling—for platforms such as the official La Liga app, Vodafone and Movistar websites, NBA Blogdebasket, and Cadena Cope, honing his skills in writing and editorial management.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Juan contributes to Cyclinguptodate and serves as editor-in-chief for the tennis-focused site Tenisaldia. Throughout his career, he has conducted exclusive interviews with cyclists and sports figures, provided detailed analysis of competitions ranging from local Spanish races to major international events, and acted as a special correspondent at prestigious races including Paris-Roubaix, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España.
Juan’s combination of experience, expertise, and direct access to athletes has established him—and the platforms he leads—as authoritative voices in professional cycling.
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- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
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- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
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- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
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- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
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🤪 Último día por las montañas de Asturias. 🔎 Lo analiza @PuritoRodriguez. ⛰️ Our final day in the mountains! 🔎 Purito let’s us know what we can expect from stage 1️⃣8️⃣ #LaVuelta23 #CaseryPuritoSegurosConLaVuelta @caserseguros
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