Richard Carapaz’s recovery from the illness that ruled him out of the Tour de France has been more protracted than expected, meaning he will not ride La Vuelta as he had planned. The Ecuadorian has only just returned to full training.
His absence from the EF Education-EasyPost Vuelta team will change the nature of the team’s approach to the Spanish Grand, just as it did at the Tour de France, giving Ben Healy a free run to win a stage and take the yellow jersey.
The US-registered squad has three Irish riders on its roster – Healy, Archie Ryan and Ben Healy – and irrespective of Carapaz’s illness-force absence, at least one of the Irish riders is expected to ride the Vuelta.
Carapaz finished 3rd overall at the Giro d’Italia and then went back to Ecuador for a time but fell ill there, with his team saying he was suffering from a gastrointestinal infection. That illness has taken much longer than expected to recover from, with the former Olympic road race champion still not yet fully over the illness.
And so Carapaz will now focus on the Worlds in Rwanda and some other races, including Il Lombardia, rather than riding La Vuelta.
“After the illness I had, I had to stop several times as I couldn’t train for more than two or three days at a time,” Carapaz said. “Now in Ecuador, I’m trying to get back to normal with training and continue moving forward with what we had planned. I’m almost fully recovered now.
“The next goals we’ve set are the Italian classics, especially Il Lombardia, and also the World Championships in Rwanda. It’s a very special World Championship for me, where I have a big opportunity, and I want to prepare for it the best way possible.
“That’s why I came to Ecuador: to do some altitude training, regain motivation, and focus 100 percent. Certain factors play in our favor, and we want to make the most of them.”
