MADRID, 13 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Spanish cyclist Carlos Rodríguez will lead Ineos Grenadiers in La Vuelta Ciclista a España 2024 alongside Dutchman Thymen Arensman, as well as Ecuadorian Jhonatan Narváez, who already won a stage in the last Giro d’Italia and became the leader of the transalpine race.
The Almería native will try to improve his performance in the last Tour de France, where he was barely able to finish in seventh position in the general classification, more than 25 minutes behind the winner, the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), and where he was also unable to fight for the podium, which was taken by the Belgian Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep), almost 16 minutes ahead of the Spaniard.
Rodríguez already made his debut in La Vuelta in 2022, finishing in seventh place, but very close to the podium and leaving very good feelings for the future. His objective in this edition will be to fight for the final victory taking into account the level of the favourites, since neither Pogacar, nor Jonas Vingegaard (Visma Lease a Bike), nor Evenepoel will be there, and that will open the door for more hidden riders like the Andalusian to surprise.
He will be joined by Dutchman Thymen Arensman, who is the other great candidate to lead the team, and who finished sixth in the last Giro d’Italia, the same position he already occupied in La Vuelta 2022, where he finished just ahead of his teammate. Escorting both cyclists is Ecuadorian Jhonatan Narváez, who had a good Giro with a stage victory and was the leader on one day.
It will be the second Vuelta for the rider from Cantón Sucumbios, who was unable to finish his debut in 2021. He has also failed to finish either of the two previous editions of the Spanish race, which were contested by Belgian Laurens de Plus, who will be one of the leaders’ support riders in the mountain stages, along with Colombian Brandon Rivera, and Spaniard Óscar Rodríguez, who won a stage of La Vuelta in 2018 and who will contest his first ‘grand’ race with Ineos Grenadiers.
The British team’s number eight is completed by the German Kim Heiduk and the young 20-year-old Briton Josh Tarling, who will make his debut in a Grand Tour and will try to demonstrate his great quality as a time trialist that has made him the current British time trial champion, and third in the last World Championship.