Joaquim Rodríguez Oliver (born 12 May 1979) is a former

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

professional

road racing cyclist Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most commo ...

, who competed between 2001 and 2016 for the , , and teams. Rodríguez recorded notable results included fourteen

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tut ...

stage victories, and five overall podium placings: second places at the

2012 Giro d'Italia The 2012 Giro d'Italia was the 95th edition of Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started in the Danish city of Herning, and ended in Milan. The complete route of the 2012 Giro d'Italia was announced in mid October. For the firs ...

and the

2015 Vuelta a España The 2015 Vuelta a España was a three-week Grand Tour cycling race. The race was the 70th edition of the Vuelta a España and took place principally in Spain, although two stages took place partly or wholly in Andorra, and was the 22nd race in ...

, and third-place finishes at the

2010 Vuelta a España The 2010 Vuelta a España was held from 28 August to 19 September and was won by Vincenzo Nibali. The race began in Seville and ended, as is tradition, in Madrid. The race covered . There was critical analysis that this Vuelta, which commemorate ...

, the

2012 Vuelta a España The 2012 Vuelta a España started on 18 August 2012 and was the 67th edition of the race. The race began in Pamplona with a team time trial and ended on 9 September, as traditional, in Madrid. The 2012 edition saw the return of the Bola del Mundo ...

and the

2013 Tour de France The 2013 Tour de France was the 100th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started on the island of Corsica on 30 June and finished on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 21 July. The Tour consisted of twenty-one stages ...

. He also finished first in the UCI world rankings in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

and

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, and won

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

such as the

La Flèche Wallonne La Flèche Wallonne (, French for "The Walloon Arrow") is a men's professional cycle road race held in April each year in Wallonia, Belgium. The first of two Belgian Ardennes classics, La Flèche Wallonne is today normally held mid-week betw ...

and the

Giro di Lombardia The Giro di Lombardia ( en, Tour of Lombardy), officially ''Il Lombardia'', is a cycling race in Lombardy, Italy. It is traditionally the last of the five ' Monuments' of the season, considered to be one of the most prestigious one-day events in ...

twice (

and

). He also won stage races including the

Volta a Catalunya The Volta a Catalunya (; en, Tour of Catalonia, es, Vuelta a Cataluña, link=no) is a road bicycle race held annually in Catalonia, Spain. It is one of three World Tour stage races in Spain, together with the Vuelta a España and the Tour of ...

twice (

and

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

), the

2015 Tour of the Basque Country The 2015 Tour of the Basque Country was the 55th edition of the Tour of the Basque Country stage race. It took place from 6 to 11 April and was the ninth race of the 2015 UCI World Tour. The race was won by Joaquim Rodríguez. Schedule Teams ...

and the 2011 Vuelta a Burgos.

Personal life and early career

Rodríguez was born in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, the son of an amateur rider in the 1960s, and later lived in Parets del Vallès. Some years later he moved to the Basque country to ride for Iberdrola, an amateur team associated with the professional cycling team . His nickname in the professional

peloton In a road bicycle race, the peloton (from French, originally meaning 'platoon') is the main group or pack of riders. Riders in a group save energy by riding close ( drafting or slipstreaming) to (particularly behind) other riders. The reducti ...

is ''Purito'',

for ''little

cigar A cigar is a rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco leaves made to be smoked. Cigars are produced in a variety of sizes and shapes. Since the 20th century, almost all cigars are made of three distinct components: the filler, the binder l ...

'', a name he was given in an early season training camp during his first year as a professional with . When some of his teammates stepped up the pace on a small climb, he passed them making a hand

gesture A gesture is a form of non-verbal communication or non-vocal communication in which visible bodily actions communicate particular messages, either in place of, or in conjunction with, speech. Gestures include movement of the hands, face, or ...

appearing to be smoking a cigar, suggesting he was climbing without much effort. The gesture was not welcomed by his teammates, who made him smoke a real cigar as a

hazing Hazing (American English), initiation, beasting (British English), bastardisation (Australian English), ragging (South Asian English) or deposition refers to any activity expected of someone in joining or participating in a group that humiliates, ...

ritual A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized ...

later in the evening.

Professional career

ONCE (2000–2003)

In 2001 he turned professional with after riding for the team in late 2000 as a stagiaire. In 2001, during his first season as a professional, he won the

Escalada a Montjuïc The Escalada a Montjuïc (in Catalan, English: ''Scaling of Montjuïc'', Spanish: ''Escalada a Montjuïc'') was a one-day, two-stage road bicycle racing race held in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain since 1965. It was held in the middle of October, a ...

, a race held in

. In 2003 he won the sixth stage of the

Paris–Nice Paris–Nice is a professional cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the Col d'Èze overlooki ...

, while he also won

team time trial A team time trial (TTT) is a road bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock (see individual time trial for a more detailed description of ITT events). The winning team in a TTT is determined by the comparing the times of ...

s with at the

and

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the ...

Saunier Duval–Prodir (2004–2005)

In 2004 he joined and won the

Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme The Catalan Cycling Week (''Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme'' in Catalan) was a multi-stage road bicycle race held in Catalonia, Spain. Held annually from 1963 until 2005, it was run as a 2.HC race on the UCI Europe Tour in the second half of Ma ...

, a stage race held in

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the no ...

. The following year he won

Subida a Urkiola Subida a Urkiola is a one-day cycling race in Durango, Biscay of the Basque Country. The route starts in Durango and ends at the Sanctuary of Urkiola. The first edition began in 1931 and is organized by the Sociedad Ciclista Bilbaina, but has not ...

and the

Mountains classification The King of the Mountains (KoM) is an award given to the best climbing specialist in a men's cycling road race; in women's cycle racing, Queen of the Mountains (QoM) is used. While the title may be given to the rider who achieves the highest p ...

of the

, while he finished second in the

Clásica de San Sebastián The Donostia-Donostia Klasikoa — Clásica San Sebastián-San Sebastián (San Sebastián Classic) is a one-day professional men's bicycle road race in northern Spain that has been held every summer since 1981 in San Sebastián. It is the m ...

and the

Vuelta a Burgos Vuelta Ciclista a Burgos is an elite professional road bicycle racing event held annually in the Burgos province of Spain. The men's Vuelta a Burgos has been a multi-day stage race as part of the UCI Europe Tour since 2005. In 2019, a multi-day wo ...

Caisse d'Epargne (2006–2009)

After joining in 2006, he won the fifth stage of

. In 2007 he won the

Spanish National Road Race Championships The Spanish National Road Race Championships are held annually to decide the Spanish cycle sport, cycling champions in the road bicycle racing, road race discipline, across various categories. The event was first held in 1897 and was won by a Por ...

and also won the

Klasika Primavera The Klasika Primavera ( en, Spring classic) is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in April in Amorebieta, Spain. Since 2005, the race is organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road ...

and

Prueba Villafranca de Ordizia Prueba Villafranca de Ordizia – Clásica de Ordizia is a Spanish professional cycle road race held in Ordizia, Basque Country. The first edition was held in 1922. Since 2005, the race has been organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour ...

. In 2008 he won a stage to

Montelupone Montelupone is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about south of Ancona and about northeast of Macerata. Montelupone borders the following municipalities: Macerata, Montecosaro, Morrov ...

at the third stage of

Tirreno–Adriatico Tirreno–Adriatico, nicknamed the "Race of the Two Seas", is an elite road cycling stage race in Italy, run between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic coasts. Traditionally held in the early part of the season, it is considered to be an important prep ...

atop a climb with sections over 20% in gradients which had many cyclists coming in after him get off and run while carrying their bikes or zig-zag up the climb since it was so steep, but he was one of the few who powered up the difficulty while riding a straight line. He also finished eighth at the

Amstel Gold Race The Amstel Gold Race is an annual one-day classic road cycling race held in the province of Limburg, Netherlands. It traditionally marks the turning point of the spring classics, with the climbers and stage racers replacing the cobbled classic ...

and

Liège–Bastogne–Liège Liège–Bastogne–Liège, also known as ''La Doyenne'' ("The Old Lady"), is a one-day classic cycling race in Belgium.Cycling Weekly, UK, 13 March 1993 First run in 1892, it is the oldest of the five '' Monuments'' of the European professional ...

. Later in the season he finished sixth in the

. In 2009 he repeated his stage victory at Montelupone, in

, while he ended second in

. The second half of the season was marked by a stage win at the

, a seventh place in the overall classification of the

and a

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receiv ...

in the World Road Race Championships in

Mendrisio Mendrisio (; lmo, label= Ticinese, Mendris ) is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. Mendrisio is the seat of the Accademia di Architettura of the university of Italian-speaking Switzerland (U ...

, Switzerland.

Katusha (2010–2016)

In 2010 he joined the

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

n , which guaranteed him a position at the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

and a leading role in certain races throughout the season. Early in the season Rodríguez won the

, the UCI ProTour race held around

, and later won the

GP Miguel Indurain Gp or GP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming * Gameplanet (New Zealand), a New Zealand video game community * GamePolitics.com, a blog about the politics of computer and video games * ''GamePro'', a monthly video game magazine * ...

and a stage at the

Tour of the Basque Country The Tour of the Basque Country (Officially: ''Itzulia Basque Country'', es, Vuelta al País Vasco, links=no, eu, Euskal Herriko Itzulia) is an annual road cycling stage race held in the Spanish Basque Country in April. It is one of the races ...

, where he eventually finished third. He also ended second behind

Cadel Evans Cadel Lee Evans (; born 14 February 1977) is an Australian former professional racing cyclist, who competed professionally in both mountain biking and road bicycle racing. A four-time Olympian, Evans is one of three non-Europeans – along with ...

. At the

he won the stage to Mende, which featured an uphill finish to the ''Côte de la Croix Neuve'', with the finish line at the

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt, concrete ...

of the . Rodríguez finished eighth at the Tour de France. He continued his strong performance during the season with a fifth place at the

and a fourth place in the overall classification at the

, winning the stage to Peña Cabarga. He was the leader in the race until the final 48 km time-trial in stage 17 in Peñafiel when he lost it to Nibali. Rodríguez topped the

UCI World Ranking The UCI men's road racing world rankings are a point system which is used to rank men's road cycling riders. Points are accrued over a rolling 52 weeks in three categories (Individual, Nations and Teams). Also Year-End rankings exist, based on ...

at the end of the season.

2011

In 2011 he won a stage at the

and finished second behind

Philippe Gilbert Philippe Gilbert (born 5 July 1982) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer, who is best known for winning the World Road Race Championships in 2012, and for being one of two riders, along with Davide Rebellin, to have won the three ...

at both the

and

. He later finished fifth at the Giro d'Italia and won the stages to Le Collet d'Allevard and

La Toussuire Les Sybelles () is a French linked ski area, located in the Savoie department in the Alps. It is one of the largest skiable domains in France. The resort was the home base of Jean-Pierre Vidal, winner of the gold medal in slalom at the 2002 Wint ...

in the

Critérium du Dauphiné The Critérium du Dauphiné, before 2010 known as the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, is an annual cycling road race in the Dauphiné region in the southeast of France. The race is run over eight days during the first half of June. It is par ...

, where he won the points and mountains classifications and finished fifth overall. He skipped the

to concentrate on the races at the end of the season, mainly the

, where he was considered a possible candidate for winning the race. He started the second half of the season by finishing fourth at the

and winning the overall classification and a stage at the

. He started the Vuelta a España with stage victories at

Valdepeñas de Jaén Valdepeñas de Jaén is a city located in the province of Jaén, Spain. According to the 2005 census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term ...

and

San Lorenzo de El Escorial San Lorenzo de El Escorial, also known as El Escorial de Arriba, is a town and municipality in the Community of Madrid, Spain, located to the northwest of the region in the southeastern side of the Sierra de Guadarrama, at the foot of Moun ...

, where he captured the leader's jersey, but soon faded and eventually finished the race nineteenth overall. He ended the season with a third place at the

2012

On 18 April 2012, he won

in Belgium with a superb climb on the Mur de Huy and finished second in the

. Rodríguez took his good form into the Giro d'Italia where he won two stages and finished second overall to Canadian

Ryder Hesjedal Eric Ryder Hesjedal (; born December 9, 1980) is a Canadian retired professional racing cyclist who competed in both mountain biking and road racing between 1998 and 2016. Hesjedal won a silver medal at the 1998 Junior, 2001 Under-23, and Elite ...

. He was always competitive with the general classification contenders in the high mountains, and held the ''maglia rosa'' coming into the final

individual time trial An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa a cronometro'' " stopwatch stage"). There are also track ...

, where he lost 47 seconds to Hesjedal, therefore losing the overall lead by 16 seconds. However, he won the points classification jersey, with a slim lead of one point (139 to 138) over

Mark Cavendish Mark Simon Cavendish (born 21 May 1985) is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . As a track cyclist he specialises in the madison, points race, and scratch race disciplines; as a road racer he is a ...

. On the

, Rodríguez almost took the win on stage 3, but

Alejandro Valverde Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (born 25 April 1980) is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist, who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . Valverde's biggest wins have been the Vuelta a España in 2009, Critérium du Dauphiné in 2008 and 2009, ...

popped up on his right to steal the victory in a photo finish, and snatched the red jersey. On the next stage, a big crash occurred involving Valverde. Rodríguez took the lead in the overall classification, arriving with the remnants of the bunch atop the climb of the Orduña. He took the sixth stage, the majority of it was flat but the riders had to tackle with two Category 3 climbs near the conclusion, the line being situated atop the last one, the Fuerte del Rapitán in

Jaca Jaca (; in Aragonese: ''Chaca'' or ''Xaca'') is a city of northeastern Spain in the province of Huesca, located near the Pyrenees and the border with France. Jaca is an ancient fort on the Aragón River, situated at the crossing of two great ...

. With remaining,

Chris Froome Christopher Clive Froome ɹɪs fɹuːm (born 20 May 1985) is a Kenyan/British road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He has won seven Grand Tours: four editions of the Tour de France (in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017), one ...

launched an attack which only Rodríguez could follow, before passing the rider and grabbing both the victory and the twelve-second time bonus. The scenario repeated itself on stage 12, where Rodríguez escaped from the lead group with

Alberto Contador Alberto Contador Velasco (; born 6 December 1982) is a Spanish former professional cyclist. He is one of the most successful riders of his era, winning the Tour de France twice ( 2007, 2009), the Giro d'Italia twice (2008, 2015), and the V ...

on the final difficulty of the day, the very steep climb Mirador de Ézaro. The pair broke away in a section that had a gradient approaching 20%, and Rodríguez soon powered away from Contador to take his second stage of the Vuelta with an eight-second margin over Contador. On the mountainous stage 14, Rodríguez played the same trick on Contador again on the final climb, with Contador attacking with two kilometers to go and looking very likely to take the victory. Rodríguez got back to him, his rival attacked again and Rodríguez surged ahead to take the win. Disaster struck for him on stage 17, where Contador slipped into a breakaway and went on to win the stage solo, as Rodríguez could not respond and was relegated to third place overall. Despite his attacks on the penultimate stage in the steep climb of Bola del Mondo, Rodríguez could not improve his third placing although he gained some time on Contador. Rodríguez went to Italy to compete in the

, where he had the opportunity to take the first place in the

2012 UCI World Tour The 2012 UCI World Tour was the fourth edition of the ranking system launched by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) in 2009. The series started with the Tour Down Under's opening stage on 17 January, and consisted of 14 stage races, 14 one-da ...

detained by

Bradley Wiggins Sir Bradley Marc Wiggins, CBE (born 28 April 1980) is a British former professional road and track racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2001 and 2016. He began his cycling career on the track, but later made the transition to r ...

. He did exactly that by winning the race under heavy rain and temperatures oscillating around . He attacked on the final difficulty of the day, the Villa Vergano climb. He arrived at the top of the difficulty alone and descended to

Lecco Lecco (, , ; lmo, label= Lecchese, Lècch ) is a city of 48,131 inhabitants in Lombardy, northern Italy, north of Milan. It lies at the end of the south-eastern branch of Lake Como (the branch is named ''Branch of Lecco'' / ''Ramo di Lecco''). ...

, claiming the victory with a gap of 9 seconds.

2013

Purito Rodríguez-Ganador en Naranco-1 (cropped)

In 2013, Rodríguez started his season winning stage 4 in the

Tour of Oman The Tour of Oman is an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Oman since 2010 as part of the UCI Asia Tour. It was scheduled to become part of the new UCI ProSeries in 2020, but both the 2020 and 2021 editions were cancelled ...

, where he ended up finishing fourth overall. He later won stage five of

and went on to finish fifth overall, after following an attack from

Peter Sagan Peter Sagan (; born 26 January 1990) is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Sagan had a successful junior cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing career, winning the junior cross-country race at the 2008 ...

and

Vincenzo Nibali ), The Nibbler , birth_date = , birth_place = Messina, Sicily, Italy , height = , weight = , currentteam = , discipline = Road , role = Rider , ridertype = Climber , proyears1 = 2005 , proteam1 = , proyears2 = 2006–2012 , protea ...

on stage 6 and gaining time on his rivals. Rodríguez rode the

and

, where at both races he finished second behind Dan Martin. Rodríguez later aimed for a high finish in the

. In the Tour, Rodríguez had a quiet start and after the first time trial on stage 11, Rodríguez was eleventh overall, over five minutes behind the race leader. Rodríguez picked up his form on stage 15 in which he finished fourth on

Mont Ventoux Mont Ventoux (; oc, Ventor, label= Provençal ) is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France, located some northeast of Carpentras, Vaucluse. On the north side, the mountain borders the department of Drôme. At , it is the highest ...

, moving him into the top ten. He later finished third on the uphill time trial stage. On stage 18, he moved into the top five after finishing fifth on

Alpe d'Huez L'Alpe d'Huez () is a ski resort in southeastern France at . It is a mountain pasture in the Central French Western Alps, in the commune of Huez, which is part of the department of Isère in the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is part of ...

, gaining a minute on race leader

. On the mountainous stage 20 to

Annecy Annecy ( , ; frp, Èneci or ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, south of Geneva, Switzerland. Nickname ...

Semnoz Semnoz () is a mountain of Haute-Savoie, France. It lies in the Bauges range. It has an altitude of above sea level. The mountain is crossed by the D41/D110 road near to the Crêt de Chatillon at an altitude of . Tour de France The penultimate ...

, he finished second behind

Nairo Quintana Nairo Alexánder Quintana Rojas, Order of Boyacá, ODB, (born 4 February 1990) is a Colombian racing cyclist, who rides for UCI ProSeries, UCI ProTeam . Nicknamed "Nairoman" and "El Cóndor de los Andes", Quintana is a specialist climber, known ...

. However, Rodríguez managed to move into a podium position in the final general classification after gaining over a minute over Alberto Contador and Roman Kreuziger. After the Tour de France, he took a long break and then came as the leader of at the start of the

, a race he twice finished on the podium in the past. One of the favorites at the start of the race, Rodríguez won the 19th stage and finished fourth in the overall classification, more than three minutes behind winner

Chris Horner Christopher Brandon Horner (born October 23, 1971) is an American retired professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 1996 and 2019, and is the most recent American rider to win a Grand Tour. A current resident of Bend, ...

. Afterwards, he raced the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

, where he came short of winning the rainbow jersey, after being caught by eventual winner

Rui Costa Rui Manuel César Costa (; born 29 March 1972) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who is the 34th president of sports club S.L. Benfica. He also succeeded Luís Filipe Vieira as president of the club's SAD board of directors. ...

in the last kilometer. One week later, Rodríguez took revenge for his defeat at the

, winning for the second consecutive year with a perfectly timed attack on the Villa Vergano climb.

2014

Rodríguez's first race of the season was the

Tour de San Luis The Tour de San Luis was a road cycling race that was held in San Luis Province, Argentina from 2007 to 2016. The race consisted of a competition over an individual time trial, and six stage race, stages. The competition carried a UCI rating of ...

, where he finished 71st, without making an impact in the mountains. After this, Rodríguez went to the

Dubai Tour The Dubai Tour is an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Dubai, which began in 2014 as part of the UCI Asia Tour. History The race was classified as a 2.1. in 2014. The race is organized by the Dubai Sports Council in par ...

and the

, where he eventually finished fourth, behind

Tejay van Garderen Tejay van Garderen (born August 12, 1988) is an American former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2008 and 2021 for the , , and . Following his retirement as a cyclist, van Garderen became a directeur sportif for ...

, and

Rigoberto Urán Rigoberto Urán Urán, ODB (born 26 January 1987) is a Colombian professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he won a silver medal in the road race. He became the first Colombian ever ...

. For the first time in four years, Rodríguez skipped

, choosing instead to prepare for the Ardennes Classics on the

Teide Teide, or Mount Teide, ( es, El Teide, Pico del Teide, , "Peak of Teide") is a volcano on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain. Its summit (at ) is the highest point in Spain and the highest point above sea level in the islands of the A ...

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the Archipelago, archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitant ...

. He then came back to racing in the

, where he won the third stage and the general classification, for the second time in his career. Rodríguez was forced to quit the Giro d'Italia after a serious crash in stage six where he suffered a broken rib and fractured thumb. He finished the

just off the podium, in fourth place overall.

2015

Rodríguez started his season somewhat late and quietly by taking thirteenth place overall in

. He mounted on the third step of the podium twice in stages of that race. He had his first win of the season on a mountainous third stage of the

, outsprinting

and

Sergio Henao Sergio Luis Henao Montoya (born 10 December 1987) is a Colombian former racing cyclist, who competed professionally from 2012 to 2021 for , and . He retired after the 2021 season when folded. Early life Henao was born in Rionegro in 1987, th ...

after a descent in Zumarraga. He repeated his winning ways on the very next day, on the

queen stage This is a glossary of terms and jargon used in cycling, mountain biking, and cycle sport. For ''parts of a bicycle'', see List of bicycle parts. 0–9 ; 27.5 Mountain bike: A mountain bike with wheels that are approximately in diameter and ...

, winning the sprint after the final climb. In the final time trial, Rodríguez finished second overall to overtake race leader Henao by 13 seconds to win the race overall. In the Ardennes Classics, Rodríguez finished fourth at

. He then took a podium spot at

as he was outsprinted by

and

Julian Alaphilippe Julian Alaphilippe (born 11 June 1992) is a French professional road cyclist, former cyclo-cross racer and two-fold UCI World Road Champion, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is the brother of racing cyclist Bryan Alaphilippe. Career E ...

. In the

, Rodríguez won the third stage finishing atop the

Mur de Huy The Mur de Huy ( en, Wall of Huy) is a high hill located in Huy, Wallonia, Belgium. It is also known as ''le Chemin des Chapelles'' ( en, The Path of the Chapels) because of the seven chapels along its route. This climb is famous for being part ...

. Rodríguez also won the twelfth stage atop the

Plateau de Beille Plateau de Beille (Occitan: ''Plan de Belha'') is a ski resort in the Pyrenees. It is situated in the Ariège department, and in the region of the Occitanie. The winter sports resort lies at a height of . For a long time, this plateau was only ...

, his first Tour de France win on a mountain stage.

2016

Rodríguez struggled in the early part of the season, partly due to illness, however he recovered somewhat with a fifth place in the

. His stated aim for the

was to achieve a top ten finish in the general classification, and his bid started strongly, holding third place overall after the first stage in the Pyrenees. On the first rest day of the Tour, Rodríguez announced that he would retire from competition at the end of the season, confirming that he was hoping to compete in the Rio Olympics and the

before the end of the year. Subsequently, his performances dipped somewhat in the second week of the race, dropping him down to 12th in the general classification following a couple of bad days. However he rallied in the final week, going on the attack on the final mountain stage to

Morzine Morzine (; frp, Morzena) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-eastern France. A traditional market town in the heart of the Portes du Soleil, Morzine is dominated by chalets spread across a riv ...

in treacherous weather to move up to his final overall position of seventh. On the final stage, Rodríguez was granted the honour of leading the peloton onto the

Champs-Élysées The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc de Triomphe is l ...

to mark his final appearance in the race. After the Tour, he headed to the

, where he finished fourth and was awarded the prize for most aggressive rider. After the race he told the media that the Clásica was his final competition in Spain, ruling out participation in the

, whilst Katusha directeur sportif

Xavier Florencio Xavier Florencio Cabré (born December 26, 1979 in Tarragona, Catalonia) is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional between 2001 and 2013. Over his career, Florencio competed for , Relax-Fuenlabrada, , , ...

described Rodríguez's ride in San Sebastián as being his last for the team. Rodríguez finished fifth in the Olympic road race in his first Olympic appearance. After the race he confirmed that he would retire immediately, rather than continuing to the end of the year. However, in September it was reported that Katusha would enter Rodríguez into the

Trittico di Autunno The Trittico di Autunno is an unofficial trio of cycling classics held in October in northern Italy. It is not an official competition like its counterpart, the Trittico Lombardo. Three one day races, Milano–Torino, Giro del Piemonte and Giro di ...

classics and the

Abu Dhabi Tour The Abu Dhabi Tour was a men's cycling stage race that took place in the United Arab Emirates, held annually between 2015 and 2018. In 2019 The Abu Dhabi Tour merged with the Dubai Tour to become the UAE Tour. History When inaugurated, it was p ...

before the end of the year, with his contract with the team not expiring until 31 December. He failed to finish in all three Trittico di Autunno races, his final race being the Il Lombardia.

Bahrain–Merida

In October 2016, it was announced that Rodríguez would join for the 2017 season, initially as one of the team's riders before joining the squad's backroom staff from 2018 onwards. However, Rodríguez announced his retirement once again, in December 2016. He joined the squad's backroom staff, becoming an ambassador for the team.

Major results

;2001 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

::1st Stage 1a : 3rd

: 8th

Clásica a los Puertos de Guadarrama Clásica a los Puertos de Guadarrama is a professional cycle road race held in the Sierra de Guadarrama, Spain in late August each year. The event was first run in 1978 and since 2005 it has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour T ...

;2002 : 6th

;2003 :

::1st Stages 1 ( TTT) & 8 ::Held Jersey gold

after Stages 2–3 ::Held Jersey white

after Stages 2–3 & 8 : 1st Stage 6

: 1st Stage 1 ( TTT)

: 3rd Overall

: 8th Overall

: 9th

Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli The Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli (also known as GP Beghelli) is a late season men's road bicycle race held annually in Monteveglio, near the city of Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and l ...

: 10th Trofeo Calvia ;2004 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

: 3rd Overall

: 6th Overall

Vuelta a Andalucía The Vuelta a Andalucía (Tour of Andalusia) or Ruta del Sol (Route of the Sun) is a regional Spanish road bicycle race first held in 1925. Since 2005, it has been a 2.1 category race on the UCI Europe Tour. The race became a part of the new UCI ...

: 10th Overall

;2005 : 1st Jersey granate

: 1st

: 2nd Overall

: 2nd

: 3rd Overall

: 4th

: 10th GP Miguel Induráin ;2006 : 1st Stage 5

: 3rd Overall

::1st Stage 1a : 3rd

;2007 : 1st MaillotEspaña

Road race, National Road Championships : 1st

: 1st

: 2nd GP Miguel Induráin : 5th Overall

Tour du Limousin Tour du Limousin is a 4-day road bicycle race held annually in Limousin, France. It was first held in 1968 and since 2005 it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle rac ...

: 8th

: 9th Overall

: 10th Overall

;2008 : 1st Stage 3

: 3rd GP Miguel Induráin : 5th

: 6th Road race,

UCI Road World Championships The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the (UCI). The UCI Road World Championships consist of events for road race and individual time trial, and a mixed team relay. Events ...

: 6th Overall

: 8th

;2009 : 1st Stage 4

: 1st Stage 2

: 2nd

: 3rd

Road race,

: 6th

Japan Cup The is one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan. It is contested on the last Sunday of November, post time of 15:40 at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters (about miles) run under weight for age conditions with ...

: 7th Overall

;2010 : 1st

: 1st

Overall

: 1st GP Miguel Induráin : 2nd

: 3rd Overall

::1st Stage 5 : 3rd Overall

::1st Stage 14 ::Held Jersey red

after Stages 10 & 16 ::Held Jersey white

after Stages 14–19 : 5th

: 6th Overall

::1st Stage 12 : 6th Overall

: 9th Overall Tour de Suisse ;2011 : 1st Jersey violet

Overall

::1st

Points classification ::1st Stage 2 :

::1st Stages 5 & 8 ::Held Jersey red

after Stages 8 ::Held Jersey green

after Stages 6, 8–16 & 18–20 : 1st Stage 1

: 2nd

: 3rd

UCI World Tour The UCI WorldTour (2009–2010: ''UCI World Ranking'') is the premier men's elite road cycling tour, sitting above the UCI ProSeries and various regional UCI Continental Circuits. It refers to both the tour of 38 events and, until 2019, an ann ...

: 3rd

Circuito de Getxo The Circuito de Getxo ( en, Getxo Circuit) is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in July in Getxo, Spain. Since 2005, the race is organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle ...

: 3rd

: 4th Overall Giro d'Italia : 5th Overall

::1st

Points classification ::1st Jersey white dots on red

Mountains classification ::1st Stages 6 & 7 : 6th

: 6th

Giro dell'Emilia The Giro dell'Emilia is a late season road bicycle race held annually in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour, and since 2020 it's part of the UCI ProSeries calendar. The ...

: 9th GP Miguel Induráin ;2012 : 1st

: 1st

: 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia ::1st Jersey red

Points classification The points classification is a secondary award category in road bicycle racing. Points are given for high finishes and, in some cases, for winning sprints at certain places along the route, most often called ''intermediate sprints''. The points cl ...

::1st Stages 10 & 17 ::Held Jersey pink

after Stages 10–13 & 15–20 : 2nd Overall

::1st Stages 4 & 5 : 3rd Overall

::1st Stages 6, 12 & 14 ::Held Jersey red

after Stages 4–16 ::Held Jersey green

after Stages 9 & 12–20 ::Held Jersey white

after Stages 4–20 : 4th

Milano–Torino Milano–Torino is a semi classic European single day cycling race, between the northern Italian cities of Milan and Turin over a distance of 199 kilometres. The event was first run in 1876 making it the oldest classic race in the world. The ev ...

: 6th Overall

::1st Stage 6 : 7th Overall

: 8th

;2013 : 1st

: 1st

: 2nd

Road race,

: 2nd Overall

: 2nd

: 3rd Overall

: 4th Overall

::1st Stage 19 : 4th Overall

::1st Stage 4 : 5th Overall

::1st Stage 5 : 6th

;2014 : 1st MaillotVolta

Overall

::1st Stage 3 : 3rd

: 4th Overall

: 5th

: 8th

::Held

after Stages 10–12, 14–15 ;2015 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

::1st

Points classification ::1st Stages 3 & 4 :

::1st Stages 3 & 12 ::Held Jersey polkadot

after Stages 3–5, 18 : 2nd

: 2nd Overall

::1st

Combination classification ::1st Stage 15 ::Held Jersey red

after Stage 16 ::Held Jersey green

after Stages 15–20 : 3rd

: 4th

: 5th

: 8th Overall

;2016 : 4th

: 5th Road race,

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...

: 5th Overall

: 7th Overall

: 8th

General classification results timeline

Classics results timeline

Major championship results timeline

References

External links

* *
Palmares on CQ Ranking
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Joaquim Spanish male cyclists 1979 births Living people Cyclists from Barcelona Spanish Vuelta a España stage winners Spanish Tour de France stage winners Spanish Giro d'Italia stage winners 2010 Tour de France stage winners Cyclists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic cyclists of Spain UCI World Tour winners