Rodriguez tackles the mountains at Dauphine

Carlos Rodriguez finished ninth on Valmeinier 1800 on the seventh stage of Criterium du Dauphine to move up to ninth on the GC.

The riders tackled three HC climbs across 131.6km in the Alps, and Rodriguez was initially distanced on the Col de la Croix de Fer, the second climb of the day. The Spanish rider fought back on the descent into Saint Marie de Maurienne with 38km to go.

The final climb up Valmeinier 1800 saw a battle for the yellow jersey, with Rodriguez fighting to ninth after a tough day in the saddle, and moving up two places on the GC to be inside the top 10.