The Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz has the mentality of a champion to try to defeat the two great favorites of the Tour de France 2023 such as the Dane Jonas Vingegaard and the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar.
“Pogacar and Vingegaard have a very high level, but in 2021 I was able to keep up with them in the third week. That is again my goal. Initially we are going for the podium, but yeah, the overall win is definitely on my head. That is what keeps me motivated,” explained Carapaz.
The native of Tulcán maintains the confidence of being among the best. Since the rider will be the leader of Team EF Education-EasyPost.
Along with the Ecuadorian will be his teammates: Rigoberto Urán (Colombia, 36 years old); Esteban Chávez (Colombia, 33 years old); Andrey Amador (Costa Rica, 36 years old); Alberto Bettiol (Italy, 29 years old); James Shaw (Great Britain, 27 years old); Magnus Cort Nielsen (Denmark, 30 years old) and Neilson Powless (United States, 26 years old).
Podium chances
The prominence that Carapaz aspires to on French soil is possible and “it may come as a surprise.” This was explained by Ramiro Pozo, road cycling coach at the Azuay Sports Federation (FDA).
The native strategist from Tulcán, has been training athletes for 33 years. In Cuenca he has been working since 2013.
The 60-year-old professional maintained that the Tour de France is the most important and strongest event in the discipline worldwide. The best cyclists present themselves to this fair, hence the dream of being on a podium.
“Thinking about a victory for Richard is complicated, but not difficult. I am guided by the background that Pogacar and Vingegaard have, who have won everything in previous competitions. Our compatriot has had an irregular level. This is due to medical problems or other factors,” Pozo explained.
The Ecuadorian coach considers Richard an unpredictable rider. Since at any moment he can bring out the character and strength of him, just as he did in the Tokyo Olympics, where he won the gold medal.
Carapaz defines himself as a born climber. For this reason, the high mountain stages will be the perfect places to show his caste. There will be eight high mountain stages, with 4 summit finishes: Cauterets-Cambasque, Puy de Dôme, Grand Colombier and Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc.
“I think our compatriot’s strategy will be to be in the leading pack. The first three stages will be in the mountains. These conditions must be taken advantage of by Richard. We are going to be attentive to the entire race and to what our compatriot achieves”, added the professional, who lives in the Azuaya capital.
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