"I’ve not had luck on my side" - Richard Carapaz put out of winning contention at Strade Bianche 2025 by badly-timed puncture

The 19th edition of Strade Bianche on Saturday afternoon proved to be one of the more dramatic in recent years. Sadly for EF Education-EasyPost's Richard Carapaz though, much of that drama was happening well up the road to where he was.

The Ecuadorian, in his 5th appearance at the Italian one-day race, was plagued by bad luck throughout the 2025 edition, ultimately finishing nearly 25 minutes down on race-winner Tadej Pogacar. "Today was a very crazy day," Carapaz reflected post-race in quotes posted in an EF Education-EasyPort press release. "First, I had a minor crash. I got a bit of road rash, but that’s it, so nothing serious. But then I punctured. I pierced my tyre at a very, very bad time. The cars were far behind. That’s where the race left without me."

"I changed my bike, knowing that the main men were far away: three or four minutes," continues the 31-year-old ruefully. "I finished the race, knowing I could never bridge across. I had prepared for this with a lot of determination but also a lot of feelings. I have always loved this race."

And so, despite much expectation, especially this year, it has ended up being more Strade Bianche disappointment for Carapaz, who has never finished higher than 30th in his five previous trips to the Tuscan white roads. "Almost every year I’ve been on the start list, I’ve not had luck on my side," he admits. "But out of respect to the race and also my teammates, who had put their trust in me to make a good race, I decided to finish it."

Given the relentless feel of the calendar at this time of year, Carapaz doesn't have much time to woe his bad fortune, with another target quickly on the horizon. "Now, we are thinking about Tirreno-Adriatico. I feel good, motivated. I have prepared well for it," previews the former Giro d'Italia winner in conclusion. "That is the next one we are going for and we have a good chance."