Richard Carapaz ready to take the fight to Tadej Pogacar at Strade Bianche: "The legs feel great... We’re hoping for the best"

Although Tadej Pogacar starts as the heavy pre-race favourite at Strade Bianche this weekend, the Slovenian isn't the only man taking to the startline in Tuscany with ambition. One of those keen to try and challenge the world champion, will be EF Education-EasyPost's Richard Carapaz.

“Strade Bianche is a beautiful race. I’m excited to race it with the team, and right now I am feeling very good," previews the Ecuadorian cycling icon in a pre-race press release posted to the official website of the EF Education-EasyPost team. "The legs feel great after a very good pre season of training."

Because of a few key changes to the route of this year's edition, many are calling this the toughest Strade Bianche of all time. As it turns out though, that could be a big benefit to Carapaz's chances of victory. "We’ve done the recon, and this year is a bit harder than previous editions of the race and a bit longer with one more sector. For us, it will be a big challenge, because this race is not only won with good legs, but also with being in the best position in key moments of the race and staying away from the complicated moments in the back," he explains. "We’ll do our best, obviously thinking of a win. The team is very experienced and capable of making it happen. I feel ready. We’ll see at Strade on the weekend. We’re hoping for the best.”

One of those tasked with aiding Carapaz in his quest for victory, is the Irish youngster, Archie Ryan. For the 23-year-old, it will be a debut appearance on the white roads of Tuscany. “ I'm super excited,” Ryan says. “I've never done it before, but it must be one of, if not the, coolest races on the calendar. I haven't given gravel a proper crack, myself, but I'm super excited to try out the old sterrato. I’ll go into it with an open mind and do what I can to help the team."

"I think we've got some good options with the boys and we can do something special if we put our heads together. I just want to be an integral part of the team and do what I can to help the big boys," the Irishman adds. "Racing in Italy is such a vibe –  up, down, left, right, techie descents, steep climbs, all the Italians drinking their espressos, watching the race pass by.”

Richard Carapaz
Archie Ryan
Rui Costa
Ben Healy
Mikkel Honore
James Shaw
Michael Valgren