Carlos Rodríguez reveals Tour de France ‘shock’ as Ineos make clear Vuelta leadership call

The Spaniard was left out of Ineos’ Tour de France squad, a decision that hit particularly hard given his record in Grand Tours. Only three years ago Rodríguez finished fifth at the Tour and won the stage to Morzine ahead of Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard. Now, at 25, he finds himself starting the Vuelta not as the team’s principal GC rider, but in support of Oscar Onley.

It is a notable change in status for a rider who has spent much of his career being developed as one of Netcomapny-Ineos’ leading hopes for the biggest stage races.

Rodríguez admitted that missing the Tour was difficult to process.

“It was a shock and my body felt it that way,” he told AS. “It wasn’t what I expected and of course it was hard.”

His omission also left him with an unusual summer programme. While many of the riders he would normally expect to face in July were racing the Tour, Rodríguez instead competed at the Tour of Austria, where he finished fourth overall, before lining up at the Clásica San Sebastián and the Vuelta a Burgos.

“The preparation for this Vuelta was different from what I’m normally used to,” he said.

That different build up may leave Rodríguez fresher than some of his rivals, but Netcompany-Ineos have chosen not to send him to Spain with the same responsibility he has carried in previous Grand Tours.

Oscar Onley is the team’s main rider for the general classification.

The Briton joined Ineos after finishing fourth at the 2025 Tour de France and was himself absent from this year’s race because of injury. His return has reshaped the hierarchy for the Vuelta, with Rodríguez openly accepting that his job is to help his new teammate.

“He arrives here strong and I’ll help him in every way I can,” Rodríguez said. “I’m going to try to do the best job possible.”

For Rodríguez, the Vuelta is therefore as much about rebuilding momentum as it is about fulfilling a team role.

“I’m motivated to do well, to go as fast as I can and see how my body is able to recover from day to day,” he said.

His role may yet change if he stays in contention, but for now the plan is clear: Onley leads, Rodríguez supports.