Spaniard Carlos Rodriguez won his first World Tour stage race at the Tour de Romandie.

Ineos' Carlos Rodriguez jumped out of the pack that left leader Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) behind in the final kilometer, and although he was unable to catch stage winner Richard Calapaz (EF Education Easypost), he left the cycling He left some of the best climbers in the world of cycling behind.

After distancing himself from Ayuso, Rodriguez finished third behind Kalapas and Bora-Hansgrohe breakout star Florian Lipowitz to take the Tour de Romandie lead by seven seconds over Bora's Alexandre Vlasov.

"I'm really happy and proud of the team and all their commitment throughout the stage," Rodriguez said after the queen stage to Lesan.

"I didn't know how it was going to go. But they have faith in me. So I'm really happy that they believe in me that I can finally get a good result. It's not over yet. I still have to fight tomorrow, but I'm going to do everything I can to get this jersey."

Rodriguez signed with Ineos at age 19 and is now in his fifth season with the team. He has steadily improved in stage races, finishing seventh in his 2022 Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a España and fifth overall in last year's Tour de France.

He won a stage in the Tour de France and stage wins in Iturria-Basque and the Tour of Britain, but his best overall result in a World Tour stage race was second in Iturria-Basque this year, winning the final stage to Eibar on the way.

His first overall win is "fantastic," he said, but he still has one more flat stage left, the 150.8-km circuit in Vernier.

"I've won a few races, but I still can't win the GC or win a WorldTour stage race. I can't say it yet, but it would be great and it's really important for me to achieve that."

"You have to be prepared. I can't relax yet because I don't know what will happen. Hopefully tomorrow we can celebrate after the stage."

Rodriguez will lead Ineos Grenadiers in the Tour de France this summer with Tom Pidcock and Geraint Thomas. A big win in Romandie would further bolster his reputation as one of the leading contenders.