"He's one of the few to do this in the Pogacar era" - Not INEOS, but NSN snatch one of modern cycling's most spectacular climbers
Cycling
Richard Carapaz' move to NSN Cycling Team proved to be quite surprising and one of the major transfers of the entire winter. On the CyclingUpToDate Podcast, Rúben Silva and Gavin Quinn shared their thoughts about the move.
Despite having a running contract, the rumours that Richard Carapaz would leave EF Education-EasyPost began right after the Tour de France. There, he won two stages in the final week and the KOM classification.
Netcompany INEOS were thought to be the likely destination, but this ended up being NSN, with a three-year deal that secures him all the way into 2029.
"When you compare it to INEOS, of course, it is a completely different beast. I thought the transfer made sense," Silva said, with surprise that Carapaz didn't follow in the footsteps of Oscar Onley who had a similar move the year prior.
NSN on a signing spree
On the other side of the spectrum is NSN, who have signed multiple climbers this winter. "I believe that they have more budget come in, because they seem to be on the rising side when it comes to signings. Because Richard Carapaz is one rider, Santiago Buitrago is number two, Lennert van Eetvelt is number three..."
Silva praised the Swiss team's winter moves, being one of the teams who has had the most to gain: "Not the only signings that they've had, but they haven't lost a true leader. And they're having three leaders come in, all of them climbers".
Santiago Buitrago joins Richard Carapaz at NSN Cycling Team in 2027
Richard Carapaz provides guarantees
At age 33, the Ecuadorian has continued to put out some masterful performances this year, with the recent Vuelta a España showcasing his popularity amongst fans due to his constant aggressive and unpredictable way of racing.
"He's like this guaranteed Grand Tour card to play," Quinn argued. "Whether it's at a Giro d'Italia, Vuelta a España - He's podiumed, top fourth place on three occasions since joining EF. Or in the Tour de France, if you need a King of the Mountains jersey or you need a stage win, he always performs in a Grand Tour when the cards are down".
Carapaz has a history of performing in the overall classification discussions, having previously won the Giro d'Italia and having finished on the podium of both Tour and Vuelta; but has equally succeeded in being a stage hunter.
At a time where the best climbers in the world appear head and shoulders above the rest of the field, Carapaz has shown during this recent Tour that with the right tactics, it is still possible to make an impact in the grandest stage of all against such mythical figures.
"He's one of the few to do this in the Pogacar era as well, to still take mountain stage wins in the era of Tadej Pogacar".
With the signing of three climbers and the maintenance of Biniam Girmay and Ethan Vernon as the team's leading sprinters, NSN heads into 2027 with a reinforced block, capable of highlighting the Grand Tours in a more notable way.
"It's definitely ambitious, for sure, from NSN. It seems like a good window for them, and they've built what looks like at least the building blocks of a GC team for the Giro d'Italia, for a Vuelta, for a Top10 at Tour de France, for sure".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- When Thomas gets the bullet from INEOS he can get a job as a comedian.
Senna196013-11-2026 - Right on. The more the merrier.Occam13-11-2026
- Remember, Del Toro struggled in this Tour. He is great, no doubt about that, but comparing him to a four time gt winner is absurd at this point. He has the potential. We'll have to see how he develops.awp13-11-2026
- what did Jonas gift and to whom? just curious, haven’t heard about this.mij13-11-2026
- You don't gift grand tours as it has come to light that Jonas has come to regret doing such.
Front24213-11-2026 - Exactly you said it urslf - he outclimbed del toro by 19 sec. 19SEC and you say hes alot better than del toro still lol? And can also do the same where del toro did that to jonas even and del toro dauphine numbers better than jonas all year so why this hard whats the issue its super easy stuff - del toro wasnt that before. Then factor in both their trajectory the last years and the answer is self explonatory like i said. Nothing against jonas like many do but the typing is no the wall and so stupidly easy as its so self explanatory now. Have a good daymiguel13-11-2026
- Dirty ex doperFront24213-11-2026
- As far as points go they need to take a page or ten out of the Astana playbook!Lozza13-11-2026
- Ah, seems he’s been busy elsewhere! 😆Lozza13-11-2026
- Where is he when you need him!? Wake up man! You’re missing an opportunity!Lozza13-11-2026
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