RodrÃguez realized he was on top of the world that day. But the higher you climb, the harder you fall...
Two weeks after his Tour victory, Purito's younger brother Alberto suffered a terrible car accident, leaving the RodrÃguez family in ruins.
And that was only the beginning. RodrÃguez returned to bike racing early 2015, but finished dead last. He convinced the press he would bounce back, but two months later, RodrÃguez couldn't even finish a race anymore. Before the Tour in 2015, RodrÃguez announced his retirement from cycling.
Two years later, the RodrÃguez family suffered further losses, with a case of cancer and his house burning to the ground.
Time passed by and more tragedies hit those around RodrÃguez. Yet RodrÃguez himself stayed healthy, no cuts or bruises, no simple cold, nothing. He saw the people around him suffer, hurt and even die. At the age of 62, RodrÃguez was all alone. There was no trace of the fire that once possesed Purito.
At the age of 65, he tried to end it himself, but failed.
Now, RodrÃguez is approaching his 104th birthday. He is one of the oldest men on the continent. Physically, he is still in great shape, considering his age. But he has sufferd many emotional losses, refuses to commit to anyone, afraid of what will happen to him or her. To this day, RodrÃguez keeps his secret. With every day that passes, the chance gets greater that RodrÃguez will take this secret to his grave.
Many have come forward with theories what had happened, the one even more ridiculous than the other one. But one thing everyone agreed on: everything could be traced back to that Tour de France victory in 2014.
Now, almost seventy years after that Tour de France, the journalists have all forgotten about him. The theories died out, the interest decreased. RodrÃguez keeps his mouth shut. His secret forever kept...
July 21th 2014, 2nd Rest Day in the Tour de France:
A man knocks on RodrÃguez' door. The leader of Team Katusha isn't doing that well. RodrÃguez believes like it's his last chance to win a grand tour, he wants it so much. The man knocking on his door can feel it. He can feel how badly RodrÃguez wants this, it's almost an obsession.
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant." [PT] Xero Racing
