Richard Carapaz cautious ahead of arrival to the mountains: "We have to confront some much more difficult days"
Cycling
INEOS Grenadiers have got a long-term plan in the Giro d'Italia, and in the opening weekend in Hungary both Richard Carapaz, Pavel Sivakov and Richie Porte remained safe and in contention for the overall classification.
“Yesterday was a good balance for us, I believe there are already some considerable differences, but we have to remember we’ve only raced two days. We have to take the race day by day and the whole Giro is still ahead of us," the Ecuadorian said at the start of stage three.
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Having finished 28 seconds down on Simon Yates, Carapaz sustained larger losses than expected towards the Briton - despite having put on a ride of an expected level. The plan doesn't change however towards the coming weeks as Carapaz looks in the bigger picture: “The team comes with the idea to fight for the GC, and not hunt for stages. We have to get through these flat stages, to avoid crashes or whatever the race might present us.”
“You have to be careful every day in the Giro. Things went pretty well according to our plan in the time trial, and now we have to confront some much more difficult days," he concluded. Tomorrow will see the peloton riding up the slopes of Mount Etna, in what is set to be the first major overall classification challenge of the race.
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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.
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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)...
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✌️ @RichardCarapazM is off to Italy 🛫🇮🇹
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