"The way Carapaz is racing is inspiring" - Pundit enjoys the offensive racing style of the Ecuadorian
Cycling
Richard Carapaz capitalized on his fearless attack to win the eleventh stage. Despite their overwhelming presence in the front group, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG were without an answer to the Ecuadorian's move. It's not the end of the world, but Carapaz let it be known that he joins the battle for Maglia Rosa.
"The way Carapaz is racing is inspiring," Michael Boogerd says in his stage analysis for Eurosport. "Furthermore, everything is going perfectly for him today. UAE Team Emirates did not want to let the gap get too big, while Lidl-Trek also offered help." Due to the tactics of those two teams, the five escapees were an easy prey for the peloton.
On the Bismantova climb, Carapaz commanded his teammates to line up at the front of what was left of the peloton and set up what turned out to be a decisive move. "It was a daring attack, because at that moment he still had a long way to go. Qualitatively a very nice victory."
Carapaz attacks
Although Carapaz had a big acceleration in his legs, Boogerd was surprised that no one was following him. "Del Toro did not seem to have much trouble. I thought: jump along." Especially as the Maglia Rosa then went on to casually win the sprint behind Carapaz. "He also wins the sprint for second place quite easily."
Boogerd also pointed out another striking moment on the final climb: Del Toro briefly tried to pursuit Carapaz, but seeing that Juan Ayuso was not on his wheel, he sat up. The Spaniard did not follow, but rather looked back on Primoz Roglic. "Del Toro has the pink jersey and can do whatever he wants for the time being. It is also not a risk that he tries."
The tactics of UAE Team Emirates - XRG were not really understood on Wednesday. Despite clear numerical advantage, the Emirati team seemed satisfied to just roll to the finish. Ultimately they sacrificed Brandon McNulty and Adam Yates to control the attack of Carapaz, but Boogerd can help but feel they missed an opportunity today. "They can put pressure on other teams, and especially Roglic."
Is there a leadership conflict going on behind the scenes? Boogerd thinks the staff around Joxean Matxin can manage the egos of their captains. "There is enough cunning in the UAE team management, you know. They can certainly put out a possible internal fire."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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