"Without Vingegaard, Pogacar & Evenepoel, La Vuelta will develop in a different way" - Richard Carapaz confident he can benefit from big name absentees

After Tadej Pogacar's suffocating dominance of the first two Grand Tours of the 2024 season, the upcoming Vuelta a Espana looks to be a much more open race, with plenty of potential Red Jersey winners. One of those, will be EF Education-EasyPost leader, Richard Carapaz.

Alongside Pogacar, both Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel will also be absent, with the fourth member of the so-called 'Big 4', Primoz Roglic coming into the race with his form very much unknown after crashing out of the Tour de France earlier this summer. "Without Vingegaard, Pogacar & Evenepoel, La Vuelta will develop in a different way," Carapaz admits in his pre-Vuelta a Espana press conference.

Starting as pre-race favourite however, will be Roglic, a man Carapaz has past experience with in Grand Tour battles. "It's been a few years, but it was a very nice duel that was marked by the fight for La Roja in which he was the winner in the end," the Ecuadorian reflects of the 2020 edition of La Vuelta. "There were many attacks and many changes of leader."

Although Carapaz has never won the Red Jersey, three stage wins, a King of the Mountains classification win and the aforementioned 2nd place in 2020, ensure the Vuelta is a race he has plenty of excitement to return to. "The Vuelta brings back good memories," the 31-year-old explains. "I'm very excited to be here. I've raced a lot in Spain."

The 2024 Vuelta a Espana also marks a notable moment in the career of Carapaz's vastly experienced, fellow South American cycling hero, Rigoberto Uran, with the 37-year-old in his final Grand Tour. "He will be quite important due to his great experience and having competed in many Grand Tours," Carapaz assesses, clearly with great respect for the Colombian. "I admire him as a professional and for his great performances."