"The timing really couldn’t be worse" - Richard Carapaz out of the Tour de France after suffering from health issues

EF Education-EasyPost have shared bad news regarding their upcoming Tour de France as team leader and Giro d'Italia podium finisher Richard Carapaz has been forced to forfeit from the race. The former Olympic Champion has been suffering from gastrointestinal problems and fever which has forced him into taking time off the bike and antibiotics only a week before the start of the Grand Boucle.

“We’re all gutted for Richard. He came out of the Giro with amazing form and was setting career-high power numbers in training. He sacrificed a lot to get to that level, so the timing really couldn’t be worse," team CEO Jonathan Vaughters said in a press release.

"We know how much the Tour means to him, so to lose him this close to the race is a real blow. He’s a champion in every sense, and knowing him, I have no doubt this setback will only motivate him to come back stronger.”

Carapaz has finished on the podium of the Tour de France in the past and after a brilliant Giro d'Italia where he won a stage, battled for victory and finished third in the overall classification, he looked to obtain a stage win this time around and potentially defend his KOM classification title. The American team will now have to do without the Ecuadorian, it's top climber, whose replacement is not yet known. The team will be led by the likes of Ben Healy and Neilson Powless in pursuit of stage wins.

"It's with great sadness that I have to tell you that a gastrointestinal infection is forcing me to miss my time," Carapaz said in a message shared on social media. "It's not the best news, but health always comes first. Thank you all for your messages and support. Best of luck EF Pro Cycling".