Rubén Plaza

Rubén Plaza won a stage of the Tour de France in 2015 by attacking from the breakaway with 50 kilometers remaining and soloing to the finish in Gap. The Spanish rider, born in 1980, built a career around long-range breakaways and stage hunting. His physique was powerful, more typical of a classics specialist, but his endurance allowed him to grind on mountain roads for hours. He rode for Spanish and international teams, including Movistar and Orica-GreenEdge. Plaza wore the Spanish national champion jersey in 2015, and his most notable performances came while attacking from afar in that rainbow jersey. He calculated his efforts to join the right move and used sustained power to hold off the chasing peloton. His palmarès includes dramatic solo stage wins in both the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, often on demanding summit finishes. He never fought for overall Grand Tour classification. Instead, he carved out a respected niche as a rider of courage and self-sufficient strength, a constant threat whenever the road tilted upward.