Will Carapaz shake up the transfer market? EF's leader talk of the town, with possible surprise return

The 2025 season may still have a bombshell transfer story in store. After the major deals involving Remco Evenepoel, Juan Ayuso and Kévin Vauquelin, the situation surrounding Richard Carapaz is now heating up. The Ecuadorian currently rides for EF Education–EasyPost, but with the new year approaching, a change of scenery is no longer unthinkable.

Carapaz delivered another strong season. He won a stage at the Giro d’Italia and saw his shot at the overall only slip away in the final mountain stage. He later had to skip both the Tour de France and Vuelta a España due to health issues, but the signs were clear: the Ecuadorian is far from finished at the top level.

Where he will ride next season, however, remains unclear. His contract runs until the end of 2025, and he previously stated he would like to stay with the American squad. Nothing seemed out of place—until rumours of a possible departure resurfaced out of nowhere. According to AS, the 32-year-old climber could be considering a very unexpected next step.

Movistar is reported to have already contacted his agent. The Spanish team is familiar territory for Carapaz, as he raced there between 2017 and 2019. He also won his only Grand Tour to date with Movistar, claiming the Giro d’Italia in his final season with the team. After a stop at INEOS Grenadiers, he moved to EF Education–EasyPost, but a return to his former home is now a realistic possibility.

According to the Spanish newspaper, Movistar is not the only option, although journalist Javier Ares challenges those rumours entirely. On his YouTube channel, the Spaniard says the former Olympic champion has not yet been announced for the new season, but that there is no reason for concern: Carapaz will simply remain with EF Education–EasyPost.

Why is the team waiting so long to make it official? According to Ares, it is mostly a marketing tactic. The American squad has indeed been unveiling new riders gradually, though many of those deals were reportedly sealed months ago. And, realistically, a rider of Carapaz’s calibre was never going to be without a contract in November.