It rains all day long on the Oviedo lands and Richard Carapaz (El Carmelo, Ecuador; 31 years old)’s face changes, annoyed because he can’t do much outside the hotel, beyond pedaling a little for the maintenance legs. He eats frugally and goes to his hotel room for a while before coming downstairs looking sleepy. But he talks about his ambitions, the peloton and the race, and wakes up quickly. He has come to fight.
Ask. What happened to you in the first week, when you didn’t seem to be in great shape?
Answer. I suffered a lot from the heat. The fourth day was unbearable, very unpleasant. I tried, but… heat stroke. Then I got used to it and started taking small steps forward, growing. I am happy because the performance is going up and not down.
P. The peak came in the ninth stage, an attack from far away…
R. It was something we had discussed with the sports director, a strategic move because I had already trained in those mountains in May for the Tour. I knew the climbs, I knew how to tackle them, there were two teammates who had broken away who helped me and, as in theory I was not a threat to the general classification, it went really well. Yes, that night I thought I had screwed up a bit.
P. Do you know that someone called you crazy for attacking from there?
R. I like being told I’m a bit crazy. But I’ve always been one to attack. And when I do, I can tell that there’s respect in the peloton. I’ve earned it. I’m brave and few dare to do such things.
P. Are there days when you feel unstoppable?
R. Well, I wish it was every day. But at that stage everything worked out in harmony. And the truth is that we trained a lot with that kind of effort in series. Going up, going down, going up, going down and going up again. It was about suffering.
P. Did you develop that character as a child, when you had to take charge of the family farm because your mother became ill with breast cancer?
R. These are things that you never foresee. But it happened to me and you have to accept it. But yes, it helped me in part and it has been something important in my life as a person and as an athlete.
P. Did you ever imagine having a Giro back then, as well as a podium in every Grand Tour?
R. No, man. Where I came from there weren’t even bicycle races. It’s impossible for a person to think I could win what I have won. Everything was built little by little, overcoming my limits and honing my talent. I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved.
P. A resume that did not allow him to be called up by Ecuador for the Games, despite already being an Olympic champion…
R. Ufff. That was a bad trick they played on me. At the time it made me very angry because it was something very shameful. It turns out that the list of participants for the Games was known since February and they didn’t tell me. And when they wanted to publish it, they came up with a shitty set of rules. It’s sad because I had focused my preparation for that event and I knew that after the Tour I would arrive in very good condition. It was a shame not to participate. But the thing is that in our country the leaders don’t have the slightest idea what cycling is or what cycling is at a professional level.
P. You never received any help from Ecuador, right?
R. True. Cycling there is very new and it has only been 10 years since it started. boomBut the current president of the federation doesn’t know what a World Tour race is. He doesn’t know what a professional team is, what’s in there. And the coach has no idea, really. It’s infuriating.
P. And why did he get angry with AG2R when he crashed in a stage of this Vuelta?
R. Well, because the team had blocked the road. I approached, asked for permission, my teammate passed and when I went to pass, they blocked me. It wasn’t that they didn’t see me, they blocked me in a bad way and I fell to the ground. I say that blocking the road isn’t bad, but that’s what you do when you’re going at a pace where people can’t start. And that wasn’t the case that day. They disrespected me. And if you don’t complain now, it will continue to happen. You have to put a stop to it. stop because otherwise the sense of respect and competition will be lost.
P. Is that what people in the peloton talk about?
R. Yes, yes. Of course, it is important. Many people came to me and asked me why they saw what happened. And it is true that nothing happened to me, but it could have been worse.
P. Although he remains in the running, fourth in the standings, he came saying that he was coming to win, does he still stand by his argument?
R. Yes, I have prepared very well for the Vuelta and I still have it there. There are some important days left and I am in the fight. I will not stop trying. I am very excited.
P. Do you get angry when things don’t go your way?
R. Yes. We are at a level where stress is very high and I need a little time to digest the frustration. But after a while it goes away. This sport teaches you that you lose many more times than you win. You have to shape your character and I say this because when I was little I hated losing.
P. How do you see the chances of those fighting for the jersey red?
R. O’Connor grabs on and, even though they are taking it away, he still holds on. jerseyBut there are still some tough days ahead and we will see who the three-week-old riders are; the one who recovers well will be in front. O’Connor also knows that those behind him are not just anyone. I think that the top five are very evenly matched, almost at the same level. It is a minimal difference, not like in other races where one person attacks and no one can follow him. The Vuelta is very nice for the riders and for the public.
P. Does it help that Pogacar, Vingegaard and Evenepoel are not there?
R. Without them we have a more open outlook. They are at another level, we have seen it and what can we do about it, we have to accept it.
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