Richard Carapaz on Sunday emerged from the shadows of cycling’s big guns after winning the Giro d’Italia, riding into Verona’s ancient Roman Arena to seal his first ever Grand Tour victory in the final-day time trial.
The Movistar rider’s 36th place finish in the final stage, won by Chad Haga of the US, was enough for the 26-year-old to become the first Ecuadoran to win one of the sport’s three major tours.
Carapaz dominated the second half of this year’s race, particularly in the mountains, claiming the coveted maglia rosa in just his third full season as a professional after starting the race as a support rider for teammate Mikel Landa.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“This is the biggest moment of my sporting life,” said the rider from Playa Alta, high in the mountains of northern Ecuador near the border with Colombia. “In this final time trial I just suffered from start to finish until I reached the arena of Verona. It’s fabulous to win the Giro d’Italia.”
Carapaz had remained under the radar for much of the race, particularly after having lost time with mechanical problems on stage 3, and second-placed Vincenzo Nibali of Italy conceded it had been a mistake to underestimate the Ecuadoran given his fourth-placed finish last year.
“Without a doubt we made the mistake of giving him too much space,” said two-time former winner Nibali, who finished second overall 1 minute, 5 seconds back.
The Sicilian, nicknamed the Shark, had focused too much on Slovenian Primoz Roglic, who finished third overall, after the Team Jumbo-Visma rider’s strong start to the season.
“Second at the Giro is still a good result, especially thinking that six months ago I was down with a big back pain after the crash at the Tour de France,” Nibali said. “To be back fighting for the overall victory in a Grand Tour is something positive.”
Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin, the winner in 2017, dropped out of the race after a fall in the first week, with defending champion Chris Froome of Britain not competing.
Carapaz surged ahead of Landa as the race moved into the mountains.
He won two stages — the fourth at Frascati and 14th at Courmayeur — pulling ahead on the foot of Mont Blanc in the Alps and taking the maglia rosa eight days from the finish.
He showed no signs of weakness in a race made difficult by the rainy days, becoming just the second South American to win the Giro after Colombian Nairo Quintana in 2014.
“The 30 seconds I gained on stage 15 were fundamental,” he said. “I profited from Nibali and Roglic watching each other. That’s where the Giro was decided. For me, it’s only the beginning I think. We always dream for more.”
Roglic, winner of the first two stages, moved back to third overall for his first podium finish on a Grand Tour at the expense of Landa, who dropped to fourth.
Haga, 30, won the stage ahead of Belgian duo Victor Campenaerts and Thomas de Gendt, both riding for Lotto-Soudal.
“Everything is just jumbled up in my head right now,” the American said. “It’s been a roller coaster for sure, the race started really well and then went bad for a while.”
There was more disappointment for Britain’s Simon Yates, after the Mitchelton-Scott rider finished eighth, nearly eight minutes behind Carapaz.
“It was a very disappointing Giro for me personally, although disappointing isn’t the right word, heartbreaking is more accurate,” Vuelta a Espana champion Yates said. “I put a lot of effort into this, a lot of time, and it has just not come together the way I was expecting.”
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