Ineos Grenadier announced on Monday that the second week of the Tour de France will be contested by two main contenders for the overall, with Carlos Rodriguez in fourth place overall and Tom Pidcock in seventh place after a strong ride in the Puy de Dome stage. [22-year-old Rodriguez, who suffered a broken collarbone in March but regained his strength at the Criterium du Dauphiné, will be looking to make a strong showing at the Critérium de Dauphiné.

At a press conference on his rest day, the Spaniard said that without Tour experience, he had no idea what level of the GC hierarchy his condition would rise to before the race. I am still discovering everything."

Pidcock confirmed that he would aim for the best possible GC, even at the expense of a stage win like the one he won in Alpe d'Huez last summer. Said Pidcock, "My goal is to stay consistent and see where that takes me."

Rodriguez said the current plan at Ineos Grenadier is for the two of them to stay as high up the GC as possible. He said, "We're both moving forward, defending our overall contenders, and that could be good for both of us."

Rodriguez, who was born and raised in southern Andalusia, said the high temperatures on the way to Puy de Dome and the forecast for the Tour this week are not unfamiliar to him." The high temperatures are something you always have to keep in mind, but I'm used to it. But I'm used to it now.

With his compatriot Mikel Landa's (Bahrain Victorious) GC contention in the shade, interest in Rodriguez's Tour performance has surged in Spain, but he denied that this is extra pressure or something he can't handle. The cheering, he said, "is extra motivation." As for how much of the increased attention and demands on his time and attention to his tour performance he was unable to answer in his conversation with Wattsap, he simply replied, "None."

He is strongly rumored to be moving to Movistar in 2024, but with the transfer market not officially opening until August 1, Rodriguez was tight-lipped about his plans for next season, saying, "The best person to ask about that would be the team manager."

Pidcock, on the other hand, was in a similarly upbeat mood, saying that rather than resenting the restrictions on GC contention, it was "counterproductive" to his natural gung-ho racing instincts.

"I don't usually have the patience and focus for GC," he said.

"Obviously the first day of racing didn't go the way I wanted it to, but in general things are going well. I'm gaining confidence and exploring my limits. Yesterday [Sunday] was a great day.

"My goal is to ride consistently, even if there is no chance of winning a stage. But I think if I fully commit to the GC now, I will learn a lot about myself."

Pidcock recognized that having two riders in the GC was an advantage because, as he put it, "they are both pretty young."

"Carlos was in the top five at the Vuelta last year and so on. But it's not the same as having two experienced GC riders."

One teammate with considerably deeper Grand Tour knowledge than the Ineos GC duo in France this past July was Egan Bernal, and both Pidcock and Rodriguez praised the Colombian for his level of support.

"He's very impressive," Pidcock said. Pidcock added: "He's very impressive. He's really great. I'm honored that a guy like him has made a 100% commitment to help me and Carlos.

"He could have just as easily said, 'Fuck you, that's not what I want.'"

"I can't believe I get to share a team with him," Rodriguez was asked for his reaction to Bernal's promise to "work to the bone" to get the Spaniard on the podium in Paris.

"When I hear he wants to do that, I am speechless. It shows what kind of person he is. He is a role model to emulate."