Richard Carapaz reportedly set to leave EF despite ongoing contract

According to WielerFlits, financial constraints at EF and Carapaz's desire to capitalise on his successful 2026 campaign have opened the door to an early exit. The length of his reported agreement with NSN Cycling remains unknown, and the transfer has yet to be officially confirmed.

The possibility of Carapaz leaving EF had already surfaced earlier this summer. Former professional team manager Johan Bruyneel suggested on The Move podcast that the Ecuadorian could be on his way out, despite having another season remaining on his contract.

Bruyneel claimed to have heard that Carapaz would be racing for a different team in 2027, suggesting the information was more substantial than ordinary transfer speculation.

At the time, EF appeared unwilling to entertain the rumours. When approached by Domestique, the American team reportedly dismissed the suggestion as not worth responding to.

If the move is confirmed, Carapaz would leave EF after four seasons marked by both setbacks and major successes.

His debut campaign in 2023 was disrupted by a crash on the opening stage of the Tour de France, but he bounced back strongly the following year. At the 2024 Tour, Carapaz became the first Ecuadorian to wear the yellow jersey, claimed a memorable stage victory at Superdévoluy and secured the mountains classification.

He followed that up with a strong 2025 Giro d'Italia, winning stage 11 and finishing third overall behind Simon Yates and Isaac del Toro.

His 2026 season proved equally impressive, despite a difficult start that included the loss of his mother and surgery that forced him to miss the Giro. After returning to competition in June, Carapaz finished second at the Tour de Suisse before enjoying another outstanding Tour de France.

The Ecuadorian won two Alpine stages, at Orcières-Merlette and Alpe d'Huez, claimed his second Tour mountains classification and was named the race's most combative rider. He then finished second at the Clásica San Sebastián and fourth overall at the Vuelta a España, which now looks set to have been his final race in EF colours.

A move to NSN Cycling would mark Carapaz's fourth major team in European professional cycling.

He first made his name at Movistar, where he won the 2019 Giro d'Italia and became Ecuador's first Grand Tour champion. He subsequently joined Team INEOS in 2020, spending three seasons with the British outfit.

During that period, he finished second at both the 2020 Vuelta a España and 2022 Giro d'Italia, took third at the 2021 Tour de France and claimed Olympic road race gold in Tokyo.

His move to EF in 2023 gave him greater freedom to pursue his own Grand Tour ambitions, a role he continued to fulfil throughout his four seasons with the team.

For NSN Cycling, the reported signing would represent another significant addition to an increasingly ambitious roster. The Swiss WorldTour project, has already recruited Santiago Buitrago, Lennert Van Eetvelt and Kasper Asgreen ahead of 2027.

With Biniam Girmay already among its leading riders, the arrival of Carapaz would provide the team with an experienced Grand Tour contender and proven winner in the high mountains.

For EF Education-EasyPost, meanwhile, losing Carapaz a year before his contract expires would leave a considerable gap in its stage racing ambitions.

An official announcement has yet to follow, but after four seasons in pink, Carapaz now appears destined for a new challenge in 2027.