Richard Carapaz: "I would like to win my second Grand Tour"

Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz will be at the startline this Friday in Budapest for his third Giro d'Italia. With clear ambition and the lack of the Slovenian duo, Carapaz finds himself in a position where he has a very real chance of winning the race - if he manages to have a clean run on the road.

“I would like to win my second Grand Tour and I am hopeful that everything will go well. My preparation has been quite optimal in Ecuador," Carapaz said to the press in Budapest. Having won the race in 2019, his last appearance, Carapaz has the experience required to enter the race with a cool head, and the team to support him on this difficult race.

Carapaz has has a complicated start to the season with illnesses and crashes, but has seemed to be back on track as he went on to finish on the podium of the Volta a Catalunya. With the likes of Richie Porte, Pavel Sivakov and Jonathan Castroviejo though, he's assured strong support in the mountains where he will have to make the difference if he's to take another win.

“This year the competition will be even more technical. The energy has to be distributed evenly over the three weeks. From the fourth stage (Etna summit finish) it gets really difficult and then we will see who the opponents will be. It's going to be a tough race, but we're definitely going to do our best," he added.

“You will see another Richard. It is not like in 2019, when I had to share the leadership [with Mikel Landa at Movistar]. Now more than ever I come with a super clear goal: to win," Carapaz pointed out. Despite the strong team backing him up, he is the sole leader of INEOS Grenadiers, and for many he is considered the main favourite for the overall classification.