Carlos Rodríguez: “I hope I can repeat the pact with Ayuso de la Itzulia in the Tour”

Carlos Rodríguez (Almuñécar, 2001) talks with MARCA before the Tour. He is once again the leader of Ineos with all that this entails, but he carries it out with the usual tranquility. With the usual humility and intact ambition.

Ask. How does Carlos Rodríguez arrive at his second Tour?

Answer. I feel good. Everything has gone well on the way here, training has gone and I am looking forward to doing well. I don’t know what the result is going to be, if I’m going to be able to win again, but what I can assure you is that I’m going to give everything I have inside.

Q. I suppose the team has asked you to improve last year’s performance.

R. We start with the objective of winning. It is very complicated, but we aspire to it.

Q. It is evident that after the last Tour and what he has done this spring, the surprise factor with Carlos Rodríguez has disappeared.

R. I will be more vigilant, but if you want to win you have to push. There is no longer a surprise factor, but to win you have to keep pushing your legs.

If I’m fine and have the opportunity to go, the Zurich World Cup is an important goal.

Q. Is UAE Team Emirates the strongest team on the Tour?

R. They have a very strong team, but we don’t just worry about them. We focus on doing the best we can, which is what depends on us.

Q. What version do you expect from Pogacar after winning the Giro? How can he beat him?

R. It arrives safely. He always does his best in his career and it is evident that it will be difficult to keep up with him, but we are going to fight for it.

Q. First Tour with the new contract, does it give you greater peace of mind?

A. A race arrives and one is focused on the competition and not on what may come next. I face it the same as last year.

Q. How is Bernal’s recovery experienced within the team?

R. I am very happy to see how it approaches the level of the Egan that we were used to. It is impressive what he has fought for and how he has progressed. It is very good that all that struggle bears fruit.

P. Geraint Thomas arrives directly at the Tour after being third in the Giro at the age of 38. Have you told him what he eats for breakfast?

R. Be professional and have the body for it. It is one of the best in the world.

Q. What do you expect from Vingegaard?

R. I don’t know how much he’s been recovering or what he’s done. He is a top world runner and I think that even if he is not at 100% he will be ahead and at a very good level.

Vingegaard is a top runner in the world and I think that even if he is not at 100% he will be ahead and at a very good level

Q. One of the images of the spring was your victory in Itzulia after negotiating with Juan Ayuso. Can a situation like this be repeated in the Tour?

R. Yes, why not? Juan and I have a good relationship, we have known each other since we were cadets and if we can help each other… I hope we both get the most out of it.

Q. How have you handled everything with Netflix?

A. It’s a little strange. When they are recording you and you see it from the inside you don’t give it so much importance because you are living it. For me, because I am a little more private, it is not what I like the most, but I know that it is something that has to be done and I don’t mind.

Netflix isn’t my favorite thing, but I know it’s something that has to be done and I don’t care.

Q. Ineos does not have the dominance of other times, but the pressure is still high on the team. In the series we saw how Pidcock was dropped from the lead. How do you handle that pressure?

R. From the team it is done well. That pressure exists, but it is not directly perceived. Good job on the part of the coaches who don’t make us feel that burden on our shoulders.

Q. The series also showed that your accident was stronger than what was seen live.

R. It was a hard moment. There was little left, but we had to reach the goal and give everything to give meaning to all that work that had been done previously.

Q. Would you like to run in the Olympic Games and the World Cup?

R. I would like to be in both. With three places in the Games I don’t know if it makes sense and if I am the ideal runner for that terrain. The World Cup, of course, I do want to be with the national team and live that experience representing my country.

Q. The Zurich circuit is doing very well, have you spoken to Momparler yet?

R. Of course, if I am well and have the opportunity to go, it is an important goal.