Richard Carapaz will not be competing in this year's Vuelta a España. The Ecuadorian professional cyclist from the EF Education - EasyPost team has decided, together with his team's medical staff, to postpone his return to racing in order to make a full recovery. Carapaz had already Tour de France due to a gastrointestinal infection and is still recovering from the after-effects. "After the illness I had, I had to take several breaks as I couldn't train for more than two or three days at a time," explained the 32-year-old Ecuadorian on his racing team's homepage. Instead, the Olympic champion from Tokyo is now concentrating on the Italian autumn classics and the World Championships in Rwanda, which will take place at the end of September. Carapaz sees the World Championships in particular as a great opportunity to add another highlight to his already impressive career.
Richard Carapaz with health problems
"Now in Ecuador, I'm trying to train normally again and continue with what we had planned. I am now almost fully recovered," reported Carapaz. The climbing specialist has returned to his home country to train at altitude and find new motivation. With its high altitudes, Ecuador offers ideal training conditions for the 2021 Olympic champion. The decision to forgo the Vuelta a España was not easy, but seems sensible in view of the health problems and the remaining highlights of the season. Carapaz had originally planned to make his comeback at the Tour of Spain, but had to abandon this plan due to the ongoing recovery phase.
New goals for Richard Carapaz
With the Italian autumn classics and especially the Tour of Lombardy (Il Lombardia) as well as the World Championships in Rwanda, Carapaz has now set his sights on new goals. The World Championships in Rwanda seem to have particularly appealed to the climbing specialist: "It's a very special World Championships for me, where I have a great opportunity, and I want to prepare for it in the best possible way. That's why I came to Ecuador: to do altitude training, to find new motivation and to concentrate 100 per cent. Certain factors are playing in our favour and we want to make the most of them."
Rainbow jersey as a career highlight?
After his Olympic victory in Tokyo and stage wins in all three Grand Tours, winning the rainbow jersey would be the crowning glory of an already impressive career for Richard Carapaz. The Ecuadorian has already won the 2019 Giro d'Italia and finished on the podium of all three Grand Tours. His climbing skills and tactical nous could play into his hands on the demanding course in Rwanda.
