"It is going to be a trial by fire" - Richard Carapaz throws himself back into the deep end in Switzerland
Cycling
Richard Carapaz's 2026 plans came crashing down seven weeks ago as the Ecuadorian star had to undergo surgery, ruling him out of the Giro d'Italia and forcing the EF Education-EasyPost off the bike for over three weeks as he recovered.
Carapaz had built the first half of his season around the Corsa Rosa, but had to undergo surgery on April 29th to remove a perineal cyst, thus ruling him out of the grand tour. Initially, it was hoped he could recover before the race, but the wound did not heal in time and he switched focus.
Recovering at home in a stint that saw him take 24 days before returning to training on the bike, Carapaz took advantage of the new situation to start a new training block and target the Tour de France.
“Right now, I feel good on the bike,” Carapaz said in a team statement. “I’ve been able to spend a good amount of time at home, recover in the best possible way and train well. Above all, I’ve been in one place the whole time, which has allowed me to put together a new training block and find a stable rhythm again.”
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Carapaz returns to action before Tour de France
Now, he'll take on GP Gippingen before the Tour de Suisse as he seeks to return to France in top form. When testing the legs in training, the eight-time grand tour stage winner liked what he felt and is excited to restart his season with new - big - aspirations, but is aware that he's going into deep water.
“I’ve been able to train at sea level and test the new sensations, and honestly, they have been very, very good. The GP Gippingen is a circuit I’ve done before. I hope everything goes well.”
He added: “The Tour de Suisse is a race that I’m always quite fond of. I’ve prepared for it in the best possible way, and also with an eye on the Tour. It is going to be a trial by fire. I’m always highly motivated for the Tour. I have big aspirations.”
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Carapaz is set to return to the Tour de France this summer after a memorable 2024 performance. In that edition, he won the KOM classification, held the yellow jersey, won a stage and even took the award for most combative rider.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- You beat me to it. Should he make a full recovery (likely) and go light early in the year. One, two, three. Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. Should he be on a Feel-Like-He's-Fixin'-to-Die High.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- The deciding factor may be the (TBD) number of (any type of) kilometers without Pogacar.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- Unexplained chronic fatigue is an all too common bitch. The hard to find definitive answer may lie buried in gut mechanisms. A mystery of the deep.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- It's weird to say Evenepoel would be making a "serious mistake by adding the 2027 Giro d'Italia to his calendar, warning that such a decision could even be interpreted as a lack of confidence in his ability to win the Tour de France." It may well be a mistake but with so many commentators (of all sorts) continuously claiming almost everything Remco does as being a mistake, almost nobody should care what the pundits and the disparagers should say. His team may not want him to do the Giro, and that matters. But it's possibly or probably up to Remco to decide and it may not have to be decided on until a month or so ahead of the race. Yes , Remco is inconsistent much like the majority of the best riders but he's enjoying a period of not having been recently injured (or sick). Whatever he does he need not be concerned with critics who will second guess any perceived failure no matter what. I suspect he will have enough other races on his schedule so he won't be considering it. But the worst reason to not race it is because of what some will say - humorous that be.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- I'll say clean sweep all grand tourZamorano04-11-2026
- And the place he calls home is in Slovenia with his parents.RidesHills04-11-2026
- I think Tadej will be working on his new C7 TT position for the Tour de France :-)frieders304-11-2026
- Every great cyclist has at least two Giro/Tour doubles, and in modern cycling or what we call modern cycling, Miguel Indurain is the only guy to do it twice. I think Tadej should go for it and commit if he is putting up good numbers somewhere around January/February.awp04-11-2026
- the 6th TDF is a more record breaking opportunity than a 2nd Giro. Jonas can double up. For Remco its TDF. For Sexias it will be a good opportunity but as usual TDF will be his main goal For del Toro, yes good opportunityabstractengineer04-11-2026
- Well, this is something which isn't all that common
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026
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