UPDATE: Richard Carapaz shock NSN move made official as Olympic champion signs three-year deal after terminating EF contract

Richard Carapaz’s surprise move to NSN Cycling Team has now been officially confirmed. After reports emerged that the Olympic champion and former Giro d’Italia winner was set to leave EF Education-EasyPost a year before the end of his contract, NSN have announced Carapaz on a three-year deal running from 2027 through to 2029.

Although Carapaz's potential exit from EF has been speculated in recent weeks, INEOS were among the favourites for his signature, making the move to football legend Andres Iniesta's squad a surprise and a mjaor coup in the transfer market.

Wielerflits reports that NSN have won the race for the former Giro d'Italia winner and Olympic champion. The publication reports that he leaves one year earlier than his current deal amid financial constraints at the American team after his noteworthy 2026 season.

His stay in the team was questioned by Johan Bruyneel back in the summer, who claimed a move was close to being certain: “I'm going to say it here first. Maybe Carapaz, maybe very, very, very likely, will not be riding for EF next year. I can't say anything else, but the little bird told me that he's going somewhere else. Although he still has a contract. He still has a contract for 2027.”

INEOS, Pinarello Q36.5 and NSN were among those linked, but much of the speculation signalled he could be set to make a return to the British team.

Carapaz rode for INEOS from 2020 to 2021, where he achieved strong results but was not able to win a Grand Tour.

Last winter, the British team paid several million euros to buy out the contract of Oscar Onley from Team Picnic PostNL. It is possible that the same scenario repeats itself.

Carapaz's arrival at NSN would represent a major coup for the team, who have added Kasper Asgreen, Santiago Buitrago and Lennart van Eetvelt to their ranks ahead of the 2027 season.

Carapaz's reported departure brings an end to his four seasons at EF, where he took three Tour de France stage wins, a Giro stage as well as the King of the Mountains jersey at both the 2024 and 2026 Tour.

His best overall finish at a Grand Tour came with his third place at the 2025 Giro d'Italia. he also finished fourth place twice at the Vuelta during his time with the American team and took nine wins during the spell.

The surprise is now official. NSN Cycling Team have confirmed the signing of Richard Carapaz on a three-year deal from 2027 through to the end of 2029, bringing an end to the uncertainty over the Ecuadorian’s future after weeks of speculation surrounding his exit from EF Education-EasyPost.

The confirmation also settles one of the more unexpected transfer battles of the winter. INEOS had been heavily linked with bringing Carapaz back, while Pinarello Q36.5 were also mentioned as a possible destination, but it is NSN who have secured the former Giro d’Italia winner and Olympic champion.

Carapaz will not arrive simply as another experienced name in the squad. NSN have made clear that the 33-year-old is expected to become one of the central figures in their Grand Tour plans, and the rider himself says the chance to take on that responsibility was a major part of the attraction. “For me, it’s a tremendous opportunity as a rider to be part of this project and, above all, to be one of the team’s leaders,” Carapaz said. “I’m simply very excited.”

That enthusiasm comes after a 2026 season in which Carapaz again showed he remains capable of competing at the highest level, taking two Tour de France stage wins and the King of the Mountains jersey before continuing his strong form later in the year.

NSN general manager Kjell Carlström believes the team are getting more than just a rider with an established palmarès. “Richard is a proven champion. His achievements speak for themselves, but what makes him particularly special is his mentality,” Carlström said. “Richard is known for his grit and determination, and we saw this shine through in 2026.”

Carapaz also made clear that the move has given him a level of excitement he has not felt for some time. “This reminds me a lot of when I signed my first professional contract, when I was incredibly excited about being in the WorldTour,” he said. “I still have the same motivation as I did that day and that’s really an incredible feeling.”

Rather than being swayed simply by the length of the deal or his leadership status, Carapaz says the direction of the project convinced him during the first discussions with the team.

“I find the NSN project really interesting and after our first conversations, I was convinced this would be the right place for me,” he said. “The team has big ambitions to keep growing and already in my conversations with the performance team, it was clear we share the same desire to keep improving and achieve big things together.”

With Carapaz now confirmed alongside Santiago Buitrago, Lennert van Eetvelt, Kasper Asgreen, Artem Shmidt and Cedric Beullens, NSN’s 2027 rebuild has gained its biggest name yet. More importantly, the rider who had been expected by many to return to INEOS will instead become one of the faces of NSN’s attempt to establish themselves as a genuine Grand Tour force.