Carapaz U-Turns on GC ambitions at the 2026 Tour de France: 'That's not the case right now'

The first selections for the Tour de France have been announced, and the picture of the riders’ ambitions is becoming clearer. The next name we can add to that list is Richard Carapaz. The Ecuadorian rider, riding for EF Education-EasyPost, won’t be going for the general classification: Carapaz will be chasing the jersey he won back in 2024.

He doesn’t beat around the bush: Carapaz is at the Tour de France to compete for the mountains jersey and a stage win. “Preferably on Alpe d’Huez,” EsCiclismo notes from the Escapa podcast. He says this after finishing second in the Tour de Suisse, behind the unbeatable Tadej Pogacar.

The EF rider finished more than six minutes behind the world champion in the five-day race in Switzerland, though that isn’t even the reason he doesn’t want to compete for the general classification. “Of course I’d love to compete for the general classification, but right now, on my own, that’s impossible. In the Tour, everyone has to be in top form, and that’s not the case right now. We have to be realistic,” he says, looking at his EF teammates.

And so he already has his strategy all figured out, at least for the first week. “At first, I’ll try to do the same thing I did two or three years ago. If I can grab the yellow jersey, I’ll obviously go for it. If not, there will come a point when we’ll have to take it easier and see what opportunities are out there for us.”

Ultimately, the climb to Alpe d'Huez later in the Tour presents another great opportunity. “That’s a stage I enjoy and am really looking forward to. It’s a very tough stage, and everyone knows that. But on paper, anything can change. You have to be smart, know which breakaway to join, and take advantage of the opportunities that arise.”

Still, there’s some uncertainty about the condition of Carapaz’s legs after he underwent surgery in the spring. “That was tougher than I thought,” the Ecuadorian rider reflects. “I thought it would be a small incision, a quick procedure, and that’s what it was, but it turned out to be more invasive, and the recovery took a very long time.”

"That uncertainty is always disastrous, and I started to feel a little desperate," said Switzerland's number two last week. That was quite a boost, by the way. “Very special. It was all about rediscovering myself and being able to compete for a podium finish. It confirms that we prepared well. It was the best test we could have hoped for ahead of the Tour.”

Because if Switzerland had been a disappointment, we might not have seen the climber in the Tour at all. “If I’d finished twentieth or lower, half an hour or forty minutes behind the best rider, you might have thought twice. The Tour is such a serious race that it’s better not to go if you’re not well prepared.”

Still, Pogacar did put him far behind. “These days, it’s impossible to make him suffer,” Carapaz says. “He’s much better. What he’s shown over the past few days in Switzerland is incredible. He’s the only rider who can challenge Mathieu van der Poel in a classic or Paris-Roubaix and then go on to win the Flèche Wallonne, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Il Lombardia, Strade Bianche, or the Tour de France.”