Behind Pogacar, Carapaz passes Tour test with flying colours: 'Tadej is a different class'

It was more than two minutes behind winner Tadej Pogacar, but what Richard Carapaz did in the first stage of the Tour of Switzerland was equally impressive. The Ecuadorian of EF Education-EasyPost rode strongly to second place in the tough stage, well ahead of most of his rivals. It is a fine warning shot ahead of the Tour de France.

After an intermediate sprint, Pogacar decided to keep going full gas. With a lead-out from Brandon McNulty, he rode away solo with 71 kilometres to go, and the competition never saw him again. Carapaz was among the chasers, but he also spent a long time riding alone. Fifty kilometres from the finish, he dropped the rest of the podium contenders.

He crossed the line a long way behind the world champion, and spoke to CyclingPro.net about the crazy stage. “It was a bit of a strange situation after the sprint. They rode away from the front straight away. I tried to keep up, but then there was nobody willing to work together. Then there was a moment on the descent where I opened up a small gap, and then I decided to keep going.”

He did so with aplomb. On the descents he even came closer to the race leader, although Pogacar was in a class of his own on the climbs. “To be honest, it was a very long effort. In the end I’m very happy with how I felt. I think it’s important to see myself up front again, you know. We know that Tadej is in a different class, but this is important for me.”

The rider from Tulcan missed the Giro d’Italia, and quickly shifted his focus to the Tour de France. There, the climber is hoping for a place on the podium. The Tour of Switzerland is already proving to be a good test. “I knew I had the legs, and I wanted to get as far up front in the race as possible, because it was an important test for me. This result is very positive, and I am very happy with it.”