Stage win just the first statement, Carapaz wants the Giro! “He has the experience against a very young UAE team”

Carapaz put in the worst time trial of all the GC contenders, apart from the unfortunate Egan Bernal who crashed. So the hunger for redemption was real, and the stage win gave him a major confidence boost. “It’s incredible for me and for the team,” he said in his flash interview. “I had the belief today, and my team has worked every single day for this. This is a very special victory, not just for the team, but for my career too.”

The Giro d’Italia holds a special place in the heart of the EF Education-EasyPost leader. He won the race in 2019 and finished second in 2022 behind Jai Hindley. That’s what made it even more meaningful to take his first win of the season here. “I’ve been away from the Giro for three years. I kept reminding myself of that. Now I had the legs, and I also want to take every chance that comes in the next few days,” he said with clear ambition.

According to sports director Matti Breschel, it was the racer in Carapaz that rose to the surface. “Without good legs, he couldn’t have won. Richard showed a very high level today. But more importantly, it shows he’s a fighter and he knows how to read a race. It came down to instinct and race sense. We had a plan, but it was also a day where you had to adapt. Whether through the break or with Richie, we wanted to win this stage. In the end, we read it perfectly.”

It looked like a day for the breakaway, but relentless work from UAE Team Emirates XRG and Lidl-Trek kept the leash short. “Today was tough for everyone, including the GC contenders. But I felt I had the legs. I gave it a try and I knew this was the moment,” Carapaz said. “Now I’ll enjoy this, but the third week is going to be brutal. There are a lot of mountains coming up and that’s where the opportunity lies for me and the team. That’s the goal.”

Carapaz’s season had been rough so far, but things came together on a special day, the birthday of both his wife and son. “This means a lot to me because I had to do so much training at home,” he said in the mixed zone. “That’s why coming back here like this is so special. My family sacrifices a lot and they know how hard it is for me to be away. I hope they enjoyed this win.”

It has been a real rollercoaster and sports director Matti Breschel confirmed that frustration had boiled over after a disappointing time trial on Tuesday. “He was really disappointed. But moments like that give you two choices. You can go down or you can fight. He turned that frustration into something constructive. And honestly, without that bad time trial, he probably wouldn’t have won this stage.”

Carapaz’s stage win may just be the story of the ketchup bottle. Before the Giro, the now 31-year-old climbing ace was one of the few who dared to say out loud that he was aiming for overall victory. To do so, he still has to make up at least 1:56 on Isaac Del Toro of UAE, but sports director Matti Breschel fully believes in the possibility. Is a remontada coming? “The gap is not ideal, but I’m now in my fifth year as a team director and Richard is the biggest talent I’ve worked with.”

“He has already shown that he can win a Grand Tour and he knows what it takes. On top of that, he brings experience against a very young UAE team,” said Breschel. “We’re not going to do anything reckless and risk the general classification with desperate attacks. We need to take time back gradually, and after today’s win, Richard has the confidence to aim for more.”

“Before this Giro began, his goal was to win it again,” Breschel confirmed. “He’s not here to ride for a top ten. But things need to fall into place. He has the legs and the mindset, and with Richard, you never know. He’s incredibly talented and he’s proven before that he can do it. Richard is not afraid to speak his ambitions, but that’s something anyone can do. The difference is, he also has what it takes to deliver. That says everything about his character. On the team bus, he doesn’t talk much, but when he does, everyone listens.”

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])