Rodriguez, who finished ninth in each of the Vuelta's three summit finishes, has been consistent, holding fourth place on Sunday as his three other teammates for GC have fallen back.
Richard Karapas, the 2020 Vuelta runner-up, had a rough first climb on Pico Jano. Then Pavel Sivakov suffered on Colau Funkuaya, and finally, Tao Geoghegan Hart, fifth overall on Saturday, had an unfortunate crash on the approach to Les Preles on Sunday, losing over six minutes as a result.
The 21-year-old Spanish national champion admitted to riding unevenly in Les Pleyres and being too ambitious in the early stages. However, he finished the stage strong enough to hold on to fourth place overall, 2:33 behind race leader Remco Evenpole (Quick-Step Alfa Vinyl).
"It was a tougher finish than I expected. I started very strong in the beginning of the climb, but after that it felt like there was no end in sight," Rodriguez said.
"In the end I lost valuable time to Lemko, but I had a good pace compared to the rest of my rivals.
He said his feelings at Les Pères were a thousand different. 'I felt empty, I felt good, and then I felt empty again. Today I had to be consistent and I was pushing too deep early on to stay in the best group, so I couldn't ride at an optimal pace."
"I was not able to ride at my best pace,"
"I was not able to ride at my best pace.
"That made me push harder than I needed to, but I am happy to be with the rest of my competitors.
Rodriguez acknowledged that he was doing well, but noted that his team had also had great bad luck in stage 9.
"Tao [Geoghegan Hart] was unlucky. I hope his injury is not too bad."
Meanwhile, the focus as GC leader of the Ineos Grenadiers rests on Rodriguez's shoulders.
And, echoing the words used by his even younger compatriot Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates), currently running fifth overall, Rodriguez said he has no idea how far he can go in GC, wants to remain ambitious, but "whatever comes will come."
"To be on the podium in a Grand Tour is a dream come true," he concluded, "but if I fall off and finish last, I must be happy if I have given my all.
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