The talented Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz had a disappointing first season with EF Education-EasyPost marked by injuries. Now fully recovered, he has set his sights on the Tour de France as his big goal for 2024.
Speaking exclusively to GCN, he said: "In my mind is the Tour de France. The Tour de France is the big goal for next year. This season the race was not good for me, but I want to try again in 2024 for the GC. This year has been different for me with the crash and I start from scratch. I will forget the past, but if I have good legs, I can try for a good overall position."
Having won the Giro d'Italia with Movistar Team and podiumed in the Tour with INEOS, Carapaz says EF Education-EasyPost will be the team of his career: "I feel comfortable here and there are opportunities for me. I don't know the team we'll take to the Tour de France, but for me it will be the best team in the race".
He praised the potential of his team and some of his teammates: "We will have many riders in good condition. Neilson Powless is very good, Andrey Amador is a very good rider. We also have Jonas Rutsch for the Classics, and Stefan Bissegger. We have good riders, and some of the best in the peloton."
He is very satisfied after his return to training and has a very good feeling:
"This is my second week back to training. After the Pan American Games, I stopped for four weeks, but now I'm back on the bike. It's been going well, and I have a new plan and training for next year. At the moment I'm taking the trainings one at a time and my first race will probably be the national championships. After that, I'm not 100 percent, but I'll probably do the Tour of Colombia."
Team boss Jonathan Vaughters is pinning his hopes on Richard Carapaz for the next Tour:
"In the Tour de France, he will be our key person and whether we ride a full GC race or chase stage wins. That's still to be decided. Richie has to prove himself first in some of the one-week stage races and see how he can cope with the Vingegard and Pogacars of this world," Vaughters said.
Article written by Juan Larra.
🇪🇨 Richard Carapaz 🗣️ "I want to go for a good GC in #TDF2024. I feel relaxed within the team. My teammates are on a very high level. I start from scratch again, but if the legs are good, I can achieve my goal. I have to forget what happened last year." (GCN)
