Carlos Rodríguez signs four-year contract extension at Ineos Grenadiers

Carlos Rodríguez has penned a four-year contract extension at Ineos Grenadiers with the 22-year-old set for a leading role in the team’s Grand Tour plans next season.

The 22-year-old had previously signed a letter of intent to join Movistar for 2024 but Ineos Grenadiers eventually persuaded the talented all-rounder to agree to a new deal. 

"Over the coming years I hope to keep growing, not only as a professional cyclist, but as a person as well, for me everything is about continually learning how to be better," said Rodríguez. "In turn, I hope to achieve good results more frequently and to keep gaining ground on the best riders in the peloton. I think that’s why this is the best place for me to continue to grow and to achieve great results.’

Rodríguez won a stage and finished fifth overall at the Tour de France this summer, and finished seventh on his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a España last season. He is the second high-profile rider to sign a contract extension with Ineos Grenadiers in as many days after veteran Geraint Thomas agreed a two-year deal on Monday. 

Read more: Geraint Thomas signs two-year contract extension with Ineos Grenadiers

At one point it looked as though Ineos Grenadiers had missed the boat on keeping Rodríguez with reports in the media that the highly-rated rider had signed a letter of intent to join Movistar next season. However the management at Ineos were able to persuade the rider that his future lay with them with Movistar reportedly paid compensation.

Read more:

• Carlos Rodríguez signed a pre-contract with us, says Movistar team boss
• Carlos Rodríguez agrees four-year deal at Ineos Grenadiers

Rodríguez awarded following another impressive season

Rodríguez turned professional with Ineos Grenadiers at the start of 2020. His first season in the WorldTour was limited by the COVID pandemic but in 2021 he showed his potential with a string of top-ten results, including second overall in the Tour de l'Avenir.

In 2022 the Spaniard continued to impress before his breakthrough result at the Vuelta a España. With Thomas targeting the Giro d’Italia this spring, Rodríguez was handed the leadership role at the Tour, and despite a heavy crash he battled through to take a stage win and the second top-ten of his Grand Tour racing career.

"Since I was a boy I wanted to race the Tour de France; watching the race on TV I looked up to Team Sky hoping that one day I might be a part of this Team," admitted the Spaniard. "It was so special this year to race the Tour, for the first time, with the team I had always dreamt of being with - I find it hard to describe just how incredible that felt."

Ineos has seen a huge turnover of riders this year with Tao Geoghegan Hart, Dani Martínez, Pavel Sivakov, and Ben Tulett all confirmed to leave the team at the end of 2023. Luke Plapp, who has a contract for next with the team, is also set to leave and join Jayco AlUla in the winter after a mutual termination agreement was reached with him and Ineos.

Read more: Luke Plapp set to switch from Ineos Grenadiers to Jayco AlUla in 2024

Luke Rowe, Laurens De Plus, Jonathan Castroviejo, and Ben Swift are all set for new deals, while Tobias Foss and AJ August are destined to join the team in the winter.