Richard Carapaz to pass on Tour de France, refocus on Vuelta a España

Richard Carapaz won’t be a late-hour addition to Ineos Grenadiers’ roster for the Tour de France.

After racing to second at the Giro d’Italia, some wondered if the Ecuadorian might line up next month in Copenhagen to give the team some additional firepower.

Speaking to local media upon his return to Ecuador, Carapaz confirmed he will not race the Tour but instead reload for the Vuelta a España.

“The Vuelta will be the principal objective,” Carapaz said. “I might do a smaller race before, like the Tour de Pologne, and then I will finish off the season with the classics.”

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Carapaz finished third in last year’s Tour and was one of the few riders to even try to match Tadej Pogačar in the mountains.

With Carapaz likely swapping teams at the end of 2022, Ineos Grenadiers is also staying with leaders who will remain inside their team bus going into next season.

The UK outfit is building out its Tour roster, with Adam Yates and Daniel Martínez expected to take leadership duties. Geraint Thomas, Filippo Ganna, Dylan van Baarle, Michal Kwiatkowski, and Tom Pidcock are expected to fill out the roster, with a few riders still on the bubble.

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Carapaz, meanwhile, said he will take a break with his family in Ecuador to recover from the efforts and disappointment at the Giro.

Carapaz carried the pink jersey into the final decisive climbing stage but lost all hope of victory when he could not match eventual winner Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) on the Passo Fedaia.

“It was a very competitive Giro and I had a very good consistency,” Carapaz said. “Some days were better than others, but in general the motivation to win was 100 percent.”