Richard Carapaz aims for no less than Vuelta a Espana overall victory: "I want to win the race"
Cycling
Richard Carapaz wants to swap his Tour de France polka dots for the red jersey at the Vuelta a Espana. His team EF Education-EasyPost once again builds their Grand Tour around the former Giro champion. In absense of the 'big three' (Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel), this year's Vuelta is up for grabs. And so the 31-year-old Carapaz certainly isn't without chances.
"Vuelta a Espana is a super special race for me. I’ve already worn the red jersey. I’ve been on the podium and won a couple of stages. The aim for me is clear: This year we want to go for the GC win and get the best possible result for the team," the Ecuadorian sounds confident ahead of the Gran Salida in team press release.
Carapaz kicked off his professional career in Spain and as such has only fond memories of racing on the Iberian peninsula. "It’s also a special race because it reminds me of my first years as a pro cyclist. Being in Spain is like racing at home for me. I will be this year’s leader for the team. I want to win the race," he declares.
Carapaz ended the Tour de France on high, with a Polka Dot jersey on his shoulders and a stage win as a cherry on top. However GC wasn't an option after significant loss of time in the first week. This also allowed the Ecuadorian to already look towards next goals in 2024: "After the Tour de France, I had some days at home to recover and recharge my batteries. I then started training again as usual in altitude in Andorra, climbing a lot of cols and acclimatizing my body to the heat. Now, I feel prepared and ready to be at the start of Vuelta a Espana 2024," he concludes.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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- he is doing 460 watts for 35 min to achieve 7 w/kg with VO2 at 96 , just unreal numbers.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just do it, and put up with the consequencesJumpyjohn08-11-2026
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- exactly, he had an amazing season, but with these overstatements they don‘t do him good.Ketterechts08-11-2026
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