Doctor confirms Richard Carapaz will miss the Vuelta a Espana

Richard Carapaz hasn't been seen at World Tour level since the opening stage of the 2023 Tour de France. Although it had been hoped the Ecuadorian would be recovered in time to start the Vuelta, this now looks unlikely.

“We have been measuring his work day by day and we do the corresponding exams. With all that said, Richard will not be able to be in the Vuelta a Espana," doctor José Reinhart has revealed to La Red. "What was necessary was done, the indicated steps were followed, but he did not arrive. At the beginning we hoped that he would make it to the competition, but it could not be. We talked with him, his coach and they both accepted the recommendation."

Carapaz bravely battled on to finish the opening stage of the Tour de France, despite suffering a fractured kneecap in a crash earlier on. After being taken for a medical examination post-stage, the injuries were revealed and he abandoned the race before the start of stage 2.

“If he participated in La Vuelta, he was not going to respond 100%," doctor Reinhart clarifies. "He may even suffer a muscle injury. The best thing is to stop and for him to recover well to return to the road later on."