Richard Carapaz has never been one to reject the chance to take the fight to his rivals, no matter how difficult the circumstances, and even if Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) may seem an insurmountable barrier when it comes to winning the Vuelta a España this year, Carapaz is determined to try.
Nor is Pogačar the only potential obstacle, he said. EF has been blighted by injuries and other setbacks this year, Carapaz confirmed, starting with his own challenges in the first half of the season and several riders they had hoped to be present for the Vuelta not able to participate.
But for all that, on his return to the Vuelta for the first time since he claimed fourth in 2024 – which was at the time a much-needed reconfirmation of his potential to fight for GC after two very difficult Tours, – Carapaz said he had full faith in the lineup EF have brought alongside him for the next three weeks in Spain.
As the 33-year-old put it, “They’re young, and they are very well prepared, which is great for me, because they’ve got the right kind of mentality.” Furthermore, when it comes to bouncing back from difficult challenges, Carapaz’ recent repeat King of the Mountains title and two stage wins in the Tour de France constituted ample proof that both he and his team certainly know how to reverse a downwards trend in spectacular fashion
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“Inside the team, we’ve had a whole load of setbacks, with me one of the main ones to experience them at the start of the season,” Carapaz pointed out in his pre-Vuelta press conference.
“I had lots of problems when the year began and I know various teammates are still, as you could put it, screwed.
“Neilson [Powless] had a knee problem, Harry [Sweeny] also is injured, Archie [Ryan] too, and Mikkel [Honoré] is in the same situation. These are important losses for our team, we thought we’d have in the Vuelta, and it’s not been possible. You can’t say we’ve got a broad base for a Grand Tour.
"But regarding those [teammates] who are in the Vuelta, they are young and they're very well prepared, which is great for me, because they've got the right kind of mentality, and that's the most important thing of all."
On a personal level, Carapaz, too, is deeply motivated by a race which is where, as he pointed out, he began his Grand Tour career back in 2017 and he can always count on a huge amount of fan support from the large number of fellow-Ecuadorians that now live in Spain. But he denied that despite so narrowly losing the Vuelta to Primoz Roglič in 2020, he had any kind of unfinished business with the race. "That was a good memory of one of my best-ever Grand Tours," he said, "but it was a long time ago now."
Once again, though, after his spectacularly successful Tour de France, he had enough time to recover and bounce back. "I've maintained my concentration, and my objectives are very clear, not just on a personal level. As a team, too."
"Up to now I've not fought for a Grand Tour [GC] in 2026 as I'd want, but my objective is clear - it's to go for the overall."
While EF's press officer made it clear before the press conference began that Carapaz would not be taking questions regarding anything other than the Vuelta - for example, concerning the World Championships - it was obvious in any case that Carapaz was determined to give Pogačar as much of a run for his money as possible in the overall battle in Spain.
"I had a good spell away from racing and then building up for here. I did San Sebastian" - where he was only narrowly defeated by Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) - "and then I eased back before getting ready in Andorra, the usual routine.
"The key thing is that I have the legs, and that's the most important part of it all. It's a big challenge, but it's not just the morale. I think I have the condition as well."
Pogačar's announcement, post-Tour, that he would finally be on the Vuelta startline was something that Carapaz refused to say threw his plans for success askew. In the Tour it was noticeable, for example, even as early as the Tour de France's stage 10 to Le Lioran where Carapaz was the first - and only - GC contender to attack the Slovenian that day, that he would not simply roll over and accept defeat. The Vuelta, Carapaz hinted strongly, would be a similar story.
"I've just got a lot of respect for him, he's a great rival, the best in the world, and I've not had the chance to fight for a Grand Vuelta against him," Carapaz - who did finish third against Pogačar in the Tour de France back in 2021, but was never in the running to beat him - said.
"The important thing is to come here and get what we can, not worry about the rest. I know I can count on total support from the team.
"If we win, great, if we do well [rather than win], then we do well. The important thing is to give it 100 %.
"Everybody knows Pogačar is the rival to beat," Carapaz added, but other rivals certainly could not be ruled out either. "We don't know what condition Primoz [Roglič, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe] is in after his fall, and Felix Gall [Decathlon CMA CGM] knows how to do a great overall, as well."
"But in any case, the Vuelta is a race can be decided on any day, starting with Font Romeu" - the race's first summit finish in the Pyrenees on stage 3. "You don't just need alliances, you need to have the legs, too."
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