The Rodriguez Mystery: "His Legs Don't Respond as They Should."

Three months after his surprising absence from the Tour de France , Spaniard Carlos Rodríguez is desperately searching for answers. The reason? As he himself stated, "for some reason my legs aren't responding as they should" during this Vuelta a España, a condition that has been recurring for some time and has led many to abandon his plans, even in the Fantacycling event.

Speaking to a small group of journalists, including Cyclingnews, at the start of the fifth stage, the Netcompany-Ineos rider admitted that finding an explanation is not at all simple , fuelling further uncertainty surrounding his performance.

The season is proving difficult for the Granada native : after his sensational failure to be selected for the Tour de France (where he finished fifth in 2023 and seventh in 2024), he was redirected towards the Vuelta. On paper, this seemed favorable, considering the sixth-place finish he achieved on his debut in 2022, when he and Juan Ayuso (now Lidl-Trek) were seen as the spearheads of the new generation of Spanish riders.

In 2026, however, the scenario is completely different : Rodríguez started without any general classification ambitions, ready to put himself at the service of Oscar Onley. The start seemed promising, with a good time in Monaco that saw him finish 31st, less than 30 seconds behind stage winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).

Then, however, came the key mountain stage towards Andorra and the collapse: Rodríguez lost over 22 minutes , definitively dropped well before the halfway point.

"It wasn't the day I expected," Rodríguez said. "At the top of Envalira, the first climb of the day, my legs weren't responding well, and from then on I managed the effort until the finish. There was no point in continuing to push."

"I'll just have to see how my legs react during the rest of the Vuelta. For some reason, when the key moment comes, they just don't respond. But we're continuing to work hard and stay focused."

Rodríguez confirmed his willingness to continue as a domestique , despite personal difficulties. "I want to continue helping Oscar, who's doing really well and is proving it. We'll see how my legs develop from here on out, and we'll try to do things as best as possible."

Born in Almuñécar, in southern Spain – the coastal town where stage 13 will start – Rodríguez expected to be able to regain his form in this final part of the season and, especially, in his home race.

The Spaniard also has extra motivation for stage 20, the decisive one through the Sierra Nevada. If this is the case, however, it will be difficult to see Rodriguez as prominent as he was in 2023, when at just twenty-two years old he finished fifth in the overall standings at the Tour de France .

For now, however, the mystery of his legs remains unsolved, and those who chose him for Fantacycling will probably have to expect yet another disappointment at the end of the Vuelta.

Photo: Sprint Cycling Agency