Rubén Plaza Molina (born 29 February 1980) is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer, who competed professionally between 2001 and 2019 for the , , , (over three spells), , and teams. During his career, he recorded a top 5 overall placing in the 2005 Vuelta a España, and won three Grand Tour stages.
Following his retirement, Plaza has worked as a directeur sportif for UCI Continental team since 2021, and for UCI ProTeam , since the start of the 2023 season.
Career
Plaza was born in Ibi, Spain. In 2006 he was implicated in the Operación Puerto doping case, but was later acquitted of any involvement. Nevertheless, after an abridged 2007 season with he spent 2008 and 2009 with smaller Continental level teams in Portugal. Despite this, in 2009 he was able to take his second victory in the Spanish national championships, before finishing 4th overall in the Volta a Portugal, a result which was later upgraded to 3rd by the disqualification of his Liberty Seguros teammate Nuno Ribeiro for a doping violation. The simultaneous positive tests of two of the team's other riders caused the team to disband, leaving Plaza without a ride for 2010. Despite being linked to the team, Plaza returned to , the signing made official in December 2009.
In 2015, he won Stage 16 of the Tour de France, his second Grand Tour stage win.
In 2015, he also won Stage 20 of the Vuelta a España. He was named in the start list for the 2016 Giro d'Italia.
Major results
Source:
1997
National Junior Road Championships
1st Road race
3rd Time trial
1998
1st Time trial, National Junior Road Championships
2003
1st Road race, National Road Championships
1st Stage 5 Regio-Tour
2004
1st Stage 5 (ITT) Troféu Joaquim Agostinho
3rd Trofeo Cala Millor
4th Overall Vuelta a Murcia
6th Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
10th Circuito de Getxo
2005
1st Overall Grande Prémio Internacional Costa Azul
1st Mountains classification
1st Stage 2
1st Overall Vuelta a Aragón
1st Stage 4 (ITT) 1st Stage 2 Vuelta a Murcia 3rd Time trial, National Road Championships 4th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships 5th Overall Vuelta a España 1st Stage 20 (ITT) 5th Klasika Primavera 6th Overall Critérium International 2006 1st Clásica a los Puertos de Guadarrama 2nd Overall Vuelta a La Rioja 2nd Time trial, National Road Championships 4th Overall Vuelta a Asturias 1st Stage 5 4th Overall Troféu Joaquim Agostinho 1st Stage 1 9th Subida a Urkiola 2007 1st Overall Vuelta a La Rioja 4th Overall Clásica Internacional de Alcobendas 5th Overall Euskal Bizikleta 10th Overall Vuelta a Burgos 2008 1st Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 1st Stage 1 (ITT) Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid 2nd Time trial, National Road Championships 3rd Overall Volta a Portugal 1st Prologue 9th Overall Volta ao Algarve 2009 National Road Championships 1st Road race 3rd Time trial 1st Stage 2 GP CTT Correios de Portugal 2nd Overall Vuelta a Murcia 1st Stage 4 3rd Overall Volta ao Algarve 3rd Overall Volta a Portugal 1st Stage 6 4th Overall Circuit de Lorraine 1st Stage 3 2010 3rd Time trial, National Road Championships 10th Overall Tour de France 2012 10th Overall Circuit de la Sarthe 2013 1st Overall Vuelta a Castilla y León 1st Stage 3 3rd Time trial, National Road Championships 4th Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid 6th Overall Route du Sud 9th Overall Vuelta a Asturias 2015 1st Stage 16 Tour de France Vuelta a España 1st Stage 20 Combativity award Stage 20 2018 1st Overall Vuelta a Castilla y León 1st Stage 3 9th Prueba Villafranca de Ordizia 2019 6th Overall Tour of Antalya 10th GP Miguel Induráin
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
Notes
References
External links
1980 births
Living people
People from Alcoià
Sportspeople from the Province of Alicante
Spanish male cyclists
Spanish Vuelta a España stage winners
Cyclists from the Valencian Community
Spanish Tour de France stage winners
S.L. Benfica (cycling)