"It's going to be tough after my crash" - Richard Carapaz before the first mountain challenge in the Giro

The general classification men are already on their home turf this Friday. Today is the first big mountain stage of the Giro d'Italia 2025, with a summit finish included. For Richard Carapaz, it is a great opportunity to prove that he is at the level of the best, although yesterday's crash may hamper him.

The former Corsa Rosa winner started the race with the goal of fighting for the overall classification. However, the EF Education-EasyPost leader was one of the riders who crashed in the mass fall on stage 6, which led to the temporary neutralization of the day.

Speaking to Cycling Pro Net, Carapaz confesses that he is still in pain, and that it is likely to affect him in the fight in the mountains:

"I'm in a little pain, but nothing serious. For us it wasn't too bad. I crashed, but I'm relatively okay. But it's going to be a very tough day after yesterday. I think it's the first test for the overall, so it's going to be a very fast stage," explained Richard Carapaz.

The general classification starts to be decided today, but it's not the only stage of the week that can change things. Carapaz also talks about the one in Siena, a tricky day that can leave out many candidates before the next week, where there will already be a lot of mountains:

"Today has to mean a lot, it's going to influence a lot. Still, we have the Siena stage on Sunday. After the rest day we will link several decisive stages. But today it's 3,000 meters of elevation gain, and it's going to be very noticeable," he concludes.