Carlos Rodriguez in contention for Ineos on home soil at Ruta del Sol

ALCALA LA REAL SPAIN FEBRUARY 17 LR Gijs Van Hoecke of Belgium and Ag2R Citroen Team and Carlos Rodriguez Cano of Spain and Team INEOS Grenadiers compete during the 68th Vuelta A Andalucia Ruta Del Sol 2022 Stage 2 a 1506km stage from Archidona to Alcal La Real 982m 68RdS on February 17 2022 in Alcala la Real Spain Photo by Bas CzerwinskiGetty Images
Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) in the peloton on stage 2 of the Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta del Sol (Image credit: Getty Images)

Nine months on after taking fourth overall in the Ruta del Sol, talented young Andalusian Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers) has returned to his home race and is looking set for an equally strong ride this February.

Already third overall in the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana earlier this year, when he took second place on the toughest stage behind overall winner Aleksandr Vlasov, (Bora-Hansgrohe), the 21-year-old was in the thick of the action on Thursday’s brutally tough, uphill finish on stage 2 at Ruta del Sol, finally taking sixth.

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Alasdair Fotheringham

Alasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991. He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one, as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain. As well as working for Cyclingnews, he has also written for The IndependentThe GuardianProCycling, The Express and Reuters.