"When we started, I had some doubts due to my crash at Suisse" - Richard Carapaz more than satisfied with his Tour de France

You could say that Richard Carapaz has seen it all at this year's Tour de France. The Ecuadorian wore the yellow jersey for a day in the first week, then fell through the GC to comeback in the third week with a stage victory, King of the Mountains jersey and a Supercombativity prize on top of it.

Carapaz is thus first Ecuadorian to achieve all of the above-mentioned things at the Tour. "It's been a tough race, and my legs are very sore. I'm tired, but also incredibly happy. Ultimately, it's been a beautiful race. When we started in Italy, I had some doubts due to my crash at the Tour de Suisse. I wasn't in good shape, but I got better as the race went on," he explained.

"That's why this polka dot jersey is so special to me," said the climber, who extensively thanked his team, EF Education-EasyPost. "We've been very clear about our objectives and have really approached them as a team. My results are for the entire team," he concluded.

Albeit the 31-year-old would have loved to have a shot at defending his Olympic title, the Ecuadorian federation chose his compatriot Jhonatan Narváez to represent the country in Paris. Thus next on schedule for Carapaz is likely going to be the Vuelta a Espana. Whether for GC or more stage hunting, we'll have to wait and see next month.