Carapaz confirms Vuelta return after ‘dream’ Tour de France

“Mijines! Nos vemos en La Vuelta.”

With those words, Richard Carapaz confirmed on Instagram that he will return to the Vuelta a España this month, ending the uncertainty that still surrounded his participation.

For Carapaz, racing in Spain also carries a personal meaning.

“Racing in Spain is always special, but sharing these moments with thousands of Ecuadorians who, like me, one day crossed the ocean in search of a better future makes it even more special,” he wrote.

Spain played an important role in his own route into European cycling. Before joining the WorldTour with Movistar, Carapaz raced for Spanish development team Lizarte.

His Vuelta confirmation follows a Tour de France in which he once again built his race around attacking. Carapaz won two stages and the mountains classification, describing the race afterwards as “a dream Tour”.

“For me it was a dream Tour, because winning the mountains jersey and winning a stage with that same jersey was very special,” he told PRIMICIAS recently.

He felt the jersey suited the type of rider he is.

“That jersey represents a large part of what I am: a climber, a very combative rider who needs to fight for points every day.”

In the same interview, Carapaz said his Vuelta participation had not yet been confirmed.

The original plan had been to race for the general classification, but injuries within EF Education-EasyPost had complicated the team’s options.

“We wanted to go for a general classification, but we don’t have a team because we’ve had a lot of injuries,” Carapaz said.

He explained that EF still had to decide whether he could race for the overall standings or take a freer role, targeting stages and the mountains classification as he did at the Tour.

His Instagram post now settles the first question. He will race. His exact role remains the more interesting one.

Carapaz has a long and varied relationship with the Vuelta.

He made his Grand Tour debut there in 2017 with Movistar and returned a year later, finishing 18th overall while largely working for the team’s leaders.

His best Vuelta came in 2020. Racing for Ineos Grenadiers, Carapaz fought Primož Roglič for the red jersey throughout the race, wore the lead for five days and eventually finished second overall, only 24 seconds behind the Slovenian.

Two years later, his race developed very differently. Carapaz arrived with general classification ambitions but lost significant time during the opening part of the race. With his hopes of a high overall finish gone, he switched his focus to stage wins and went on to win three mountain stages as well as the mountains classification.

His most recent Vuelta, in 2024, brought him back into the overall battle. A long range attack on the road to Granada helped him move back towards the podium positions, and he eventually finished fourth in Madrid.

Across those appearances, Carapaz has raced the Vuelta in almost every possible role: domestique, general classification contender, and stage hubner.

At 33, Carapaz says his motivation has changed little since he first arrived in Spain.

Asked by PRIMICIAS what he would tell the young rider who joined Lizarte ten years ago, his answer was simple.

“Nothing. Just keep going.”

“I still have the same passion as when I joined Lizarte, the same enthusiasm, the same desire,” he said. “Every year I always want to improve.”

After his Tour, the next test comes on familiar roads.

Carapaz is going back to the Vuelta.