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Follow us on GoogleCarlos Rodríguez is unhappy about his crash on Saturday's penultimate stage of the Tour de Romandie. The 25-year-old INEOS Grenadiers Spaniard was part of the first chasing group when he suddenly hit the ground on the inside of a bend on the final descent. Via his official channels, Rodríguez gave his account of what happened.
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The crash itself was not shown on television, but it was clear that Rodríguez took a heavy impact. The speeds on the descent were reportedly reaching 80 kilometres per hour. The Spaniard was battered and scraped when he retrieved his bike and continued.
Rodríguez had entered the final weekend sixth in the Romandie classification, but the crash dropped him to twelfth. The first chasing group of GC riders finished 1 minute 47 seconds behind stage winner Tadej Pogačar — and Rodríguez came in around half a minute later still.
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Rodríguez points the finger at the motorbike
What exactly happened? Rodríguez explained: "Not ideal to be descending flat out and have a motorbike brake in front of you, in the racing line. It seems I haven't suffered anything serious," was his conclusion. In the comments under the post, Lenny Martinez of Bahrain Victorious was among those to respond. "Arghhh, this motorbike," the Frenchman — third in the overall classification — wrote.
At INEOS Grenadiers, they were licking their wounds after the stage, literally and figuratively. "Unfortunately Carlos crashed. It took a while before we got to him — by then he was already in a different group. It's a shame, because he had the legs to finish in the top five here," sports director Daryl Impey told Marca. "Carlos remains under observation — a top-five finish is now very difficult."
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Motorbikes a talking point throughout Romandie
It was not the first time motorbikes had come in for criticism during the race. Valentin Paret-Peintre hit out at the organisation, accusing them of letting motorbikes ride too close to the peloton all week. "I hope the motorbikes weren't sitting too close to the peloton, because that was the case in the last two days," the Soudal Quick-Step Frenchman said.
In the end the peloton caught the breakaway containing Paret-Peintre, and Pogačar won the stage. "If the organisation wants Pogačar to win, that's their choice. We've said it often enough, but it is what it is," came his deeply cynical conclusion.
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- Checking out the European course beforehand is smart. Hope she enjoys racing at home, whatever the result.jennifer1902-11-2026
- How does the starting order get decided in cyclocross? Eighth sounds impressive if she had to work her way through the whole field.cadencekingm02-11-2026
- The article’s timeline seems a bit muddled: it says this was the 2026 Koppenbergcross, then calls it her final race of 2025–Still, her progress is encouraging.pedalpowe2902-11-2026
- It’s lovely to see her smiling and thanking the fans. Taking things week by week sounds like the right approach after such a difficult year.patriciaw02-11-2026
- Eighth after starting on the back row at the Koppenberg is a strong ride. Good to see Fem building race rhythm without the pressure of chasing victories.tourdeforce902-11-2026
- I don’t understand how you can break vertebrae and not feel much pain there. Does that mean the collarbone injury was just more noticeable, or can spinal fractures sometimes cause very little pain? Hope he’s fully healed soon.sprocketspiny01-11-2026
- The recovery-score details are interesting, but they’re not a substitute for proper medical advice. Hopefully the team are keeping a close eye on him and letting the scans—not the urge to train—set the timetable.jennifer1901-11-2026
- Pogacar’s point about the safety gap between the Tour and smaller races is spot on. Riders are going faster than ever, yet some finishes still have awkward turns and road furniture right in the finale. Organisers need to take this seriously.gearguru3301-11-2026
- Two extra vertebrae fractures is a frightening discovery, especially after the concussion and collarbone injury. Glad he’s recovering, but it shows why coming back too soon would be a terrible risk.breakawaybikerd01-11-2026
- The team says it wants answers “as quickly as possible”, but speed shouldn’t come at the expense of a thorough investigation. Since Picnic PostNL commissioned it, will the full report be published? The team’s transparency will matter as much as who leads the inquiry.cyclechamp4530-10-2026
