Carapaz's Vuelta attacks come back to haunt him, but the EF leader is not done yet

Richard Carapaz may not have the same legs he had at the Tour de France, but the 33-year-old climber from EF Education-EasyPost is still one to watch. The Ecuadorian climbed to fourth place in the general classification during Stage 12, even though his scintillating long-range attack failed.

It was as if we were back on Alpe d'Huez in the Tour de France: Carapaz, with just over 36 kilometers to go, suddenly shot off like a comet from the group of favourites, which wasn't exactly riding slowly to begin with.

There are few riders who attack with such grace and power, but Movistar and Enric Mas were so strong that they neutralised Carapaz’s move.

On the long final climb, when the battle among the general classification contenders really began, it looked as though Carapaz would pay the price for his attack.

But as has so often been the case in this Vuelta, he hung on, caught up to the first pursuers—Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)—and limited the damage to Mas, who was riding ahead.

For someone who has already stood on the podium in all Grand Tours, Carapaz shouldn’t have to settle for fourth place. His legs aren’t turning as well as they did in the Tour de France, but after the finish of Stage 12, Carapaz already announced some new moves. “I wanted to test how good I was on a tough day like this,” he said, explaining his attack to Eurosport.

"I tried, but in the end I couldn't break away. I was able to stay on the wheel of Roglic and Gall, partly because the final stretch was a bit easier. I'm satisfied," he added, knowing that the Vuelta is still a long way from over and the podium is within reach. “It was tough to recover from the Tour, but I can say that I feel pretty much the same way now. We’re taking it day by day and will keep trying.”