A GREAT ‘RETURN HOME’. Since 2022, Óscar Rodríguez makes part again of a squad from Navarra – actually, to the most quintessential Navarra team. Raised from young age in the Club Ciclista Villavés, and forged in the unbeatable Lizarte development squad, the Burlada native -who continues a saga which had been kept alive by the great Imanol Erviti- made a pretty good debut in Movistar Team colours during the 2022 season. He was 2nd overall in the Tour de Hongrie -plus 3rd in the decisive mountain-top finish of Kekesteto- and repeated that result on the summit of Malbun, the end of the brutal stage seven in the Tour de Suisse, overtaking rivals from the break and finishing only behind world-class climber Thibaut Pinot. Confidence and lack of pressure -and good health: he took a late scare with a hard crash, fortunately with no big consequence, at the Coppa Bernocchi in october- will surely bring good results in the near future.
A DEBUT TO REMEMBER. The first three-week stagerace Óscar competed at will always be unforgettable. The 2018 La Vuelta saw him claiming his first professional victory, and one to be really proud of. Crowning a strong break against the likes of Majka, Teuns or the late Bjorg Lambrecht, the Spaniard raised his arms victorious on the impossible slopes of La Camperona, and brought the home fans one of the biggest moments of joy from that season. Another step forward in quality, the one he protagonised in 2019 -2nd in the Vuelta a Burgos; 22nd overall in La Vuelta-, led him into a spot in the highest tier of the sport in the following season.
READY FOR THE BEST. A more-than-respectable time trialist other than a strong climber, Rodríguez’s two first WorldTour seasons have seen him acquiring experience, consistency and brilliance, which make many expect some big things from him in the upcoming years. He rode his first Giro d’Italia in 2020, then went on to offer his arguably best performances during the summer of 2021, with some really good results from May to August: 10th in Andalucía, 2nd atop the Mont Ventoux, a GC podium (3rd) in the Route d’Occitanie and a 6th spot in Ordizia, while supporting winner Luis León Sánchez. A knee injury cut short his third La Vuelta and a promising year, which he hopes to build on, and improve, in 2023, his second Movistar Team season.
