Carapaz the latest contender to be ruled out of Giro: 'A complete disappointment'

The whispers had been mounting in recent weeks and the confirmation landed on Wednesday. Richard Carapaz has not recovered in time from perineal cyst surgery, and he will miss the Giro d’Italia.

The Ecuadorian has a special relationship with the Giro, taking a breakout fourth place on his debut in 2018 before winning the overall title a year later, beating Vincenzo Nibali and Primoz Roglic to the maglia rosa in Verona.

Carapaz would place second to Jai Hindley in 2022 and he finished third overall last year after a dramatic stand-off with Isaac del Toro on the Colle delle Finestre. 

EF Education-EasyPost signalled this winter that Carapaz would return to the Giro in 2026, and his approach to the corsa rosa saw him line out at Tirreno-Adriatico and the Volta a Catalunya.

After placing 10th in Catalunya, Carapaz returned home to Ecuador to undergo surgery on a perineal cyst. Although he was initially optimistic about recovering in time to ride the Giro, his EF team announced on Wednesday that he would instead target the Tour de France.

“For me, it’s a complete disappointment, because the Giro is a race that I’ve always had a lot of affection for and looked forward to,” Carapaz said in a statement released by EF. 

“Finding myself in this situation is frustrating because you put a lot of desire and time into it, but in the end I have to prioritize my health now and move forward. 

“These are things you aren’t prepared for. I will make the best of it and move forward. We are at the gates of the Tour. The start is less than 70 days away. I want to do super well, prepare for it, and try to get a good result.”

EF head doctor Jon Greenwell said that Carapaz simply ran out of time to arrive at the Giro at full fitness.

“Rather than have him go there, not 100 percent, and potentially have any complications, we thought it would be more sensible to have a good buildup toward the Tour de France and make sure he gets there in the absolute best shape,” said Greenwell.

Carapaz placed third overall at the 2021 Tour, and he also shone on his last appearance in 2024, wearing the yellow jersey in the first week before winning a stage as well as the super combatif and king of the mountains titles. He indicated that he would target GC at this year’s Tour.

“We have to be clear and keep our feet on the ground; there will be great riders at the Tour,” he said. “I’ll try to go with my best form and the best of our team to take them on.”