Richard Carapaz facts for kids
Richard Antonio Carapaz Montenegro (born May 29, 1993) is a professional road cyclist from Ecuador. He is famous for his amazing climbing skills. Richard made history by winning the 2019 Giro d'Italia, becoming the first cyclist from Ecuador to win such a major race. In July 2021, he won a gold medal in the road race at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. This was a very special moment, as he was the first Ecuadorian cyclist to win an Olympic medal and only the second Ecuadorian athlete ever to win an Olympic gold medal in any sport. He is also the first cyclist to win an Olympic road race gold medal and finish in the top three of all three "Grand Tours" (the biggest cycling races). He currently rides for the EF Education-EasyPost team.
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Carapaz at the 2022 Strade Bianche
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Richard Antonio Carapaz Montenegro | ||
| Nickname | La Locomotora (The Locomotive) El Jaguar de Tulcan Billy |
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| Born | 29 May 1993 Tulcán Canton, Ecuador |
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| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Weight | 62 kg (137 lb; 9 st 11 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | EF Education–EasyPost | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | Climbing specialist | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Contents
Early Life and Cycling Start
Richard Carapaz was born in El Carmelo, a town in Tulcán Canton, Ecuador. When he was in school, one of his teachers, Juan Carlos Rosero, helped him a lot. Mr. Rosero was a former Olympic cyclist and started a cycling club at the school. This club helped many young riders, including Richard, become professional cyclists. Before he started cycling, Richard was a runner for his school.
Richard Carapaz's Cycling Career
Movistar Team (2016–2019)
Starting as a Professional (2016-2017)
Richard started his cycling journey with amateur teams in Ecuador, Colombia, and Spain. In July 2016, he joined the Movistar Team as a trainee. This meant he was practicing with them to see if he could become a full-time professional. He did well and signed a professional contract for the 2017 season.
In his first full year with Movistar, Richard showed his talent. He finished second in two races: the GP Industria & Artigianato and the Route du Sud. He also competed in his first "Grand Tour," the 2017 Vuelta a España, finishing 36th overall.
First Big Wins (2018)
The year 2018 was very important for Richard. He won his first professional races, including a stage and the overall title at the 2018 Vuelta a Asturias. He also won Stage 8 of the 2018 Giro d'Italia, which was a huge moment. He became the first Ecuadorian cyclist to win a stage in a Grand Tour! He finished fourth overall in that Giro, showing he could compete with the best.
Winning the Giro d'Italia (2019)
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In 2019, Richard won the 2019 Vuelta a Asturias again. But his biggest achievement that year was winning the entire 2019 Giro d'Italia! During the race, he attacked in the final part of Stage 4 and won it. On Stage 13, he attacked again and gained time on other top riders. Then, on Stage 14, he made another strong attack and won the stage by almost two minutes. This win put him in the lead for the overall race.
Richard successfully defended his lead for the rest of the race and won the Giro d'Italia. He was the first Ecuadorian to win a Grand Tour. He was also the second South American to win the Giro, after Nairo Quintana in 2014.
Team Ineos (2020–2022)
New Team and Grand Tour Challenges (2020)
Richard joined Team Ineos (now Ineos Grenadiers) at the start of 2020. He won his first race with them on August 7, taking Stage 3 of the 2020 Tour de Pologne.
In the 2020 Tour de France, he finished second in two stages. He even took the lead in the "mountains classification" (for the best climber) for a short time.
Later that year, in the 2020 Vuelta a España, Richard was a strong contender for the overall win. He battled with Primož Roglič for the leader's red jersey several times. Richard took the red jersey on Stage 6. He lost it and then briefly got it back on Stage 12, but Roglič eventually won the race. Richard finished an impressive second place overall.
Olympic Gold and Tour de France Podium (2021)
Richard's first victory in 2021 was on June 10, when he won a tough mountain stage at the 2021 Tour de Suisse. He then held onto the lead to win the entire race.
He was also a key rider for Ineos Grenadiers at the 2021 Tour de France. After some teammates had crashes, Richard became the main leader for his team. He finished third overall in the Tour de France, which is a fantastic result!
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The biggest highlight of 2021 was when Richard won the gold medal in the Olympic road race in Tokyo. He attacked with about 25 kilometers to go, then pulled away from another rider and rode alone to the finish line, winning by over a minute!
Strong Performances (2022)
Richard started 2022 by winning the Ecuadorian National Time Trial Championships, his first national title. He also had a great ride in the 2022 Volta a Catalunya, winning Stage 6 after a long attack and finishing second overall.
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In the 2022 Giro d'Italia, Richard was again a top contender. He wore the pink leader's jersey for several stages and finished second overall. Later in the year, at the 2022 Vuelta a España, he won three individual stages and also won the "mountains classification" for being the best climber.
EF Education-EasyPost (2023–Present)
Joining a New Team (2023)
In August 2022, it was announced that Richard would join the EF Education-EasyPost team starting in 2023. He signed a three-year contract. In 2023, he won the National Road Race Championships and the Mercan'Tour Classic. He also earned a silver medal at the 2023 Pan American Games in the time trial event.
Tour de France Success (2024)
Even after a crash and illness before the 2024 Tour de France, Richard competed with his new team. He wore the yellow leader's jersey after Stage 3, becoming the first Ecuadorian to do so! He later won Stage 17 in an amazing solo effort, finishing far ahead of other riders. This made him the first Ecuadorian to win a stage at the Tour de France, and also the first to win a stage in all three Grand Tours. By the end of the Tour, he had also secured the "polka-dot jersey" for winning the mountains classification, another first for Ecuador.
Looking Ahead (2025)
Richard faced a tough challenge in 2025 due to a severe illness. He announced that he would not be able to race in the 2025 Tour de France. Instead, he planned to recover and prepare for the 2025 Vuelta a España later in the year. He did well in the 2025 Giro d'Italia, finishing third overall and winning Stage 11.
Major Achievements
- 2010
- 1st
Road race, National Junior Road Championships
- 2013
- 1st
Road race, Pan American Under-23 Road Championships - 2nd Overall Vuelta al Ecuador
- 2015
- 1st
Overall Vuelta de la Juventud de Colombia
- 1st Stages 3 & 4
- 1st Stage 4 Clásico RCN
- 2016
- 1st Overall Vuelta a Navarra
- 1st Stage 2
- 2017
- 2nd Overall Route du Sud
- 1st
Young rider classification
- 1st
- 2nd GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano
- 2018
- 1st
Overall Vuelta a Asturias
- 1st Stage 2
- 4th Overall Giro d'Italia
- 1st Stage 8
- 2019
- 1st
Overall Giro d'Italia
- 1st Stages 4 & 14
- 1st Overall Vuelta a Asturias
- 1st Stage 2
- 2020
- 1st Stage 3 Tour de Pologne
- 2nd Overall Vuelta a España
- 2021
- 1st
Road race, Olympic Games - 1st Overall Tour de Suisse
- 1st Stage 5
- 3rd Overall Tour de France
- 2022
- National Road Championships
- 1st Time trial
- 2nd Road race
- 1st
- Vuelta a España
- 1st
Mountains classification - 1st Stages 12, 14 & 20
- 1st
- 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia
- 2nd Overall Volta a Catalunya
- 1st Stage 6
- 2023
- 1st Road race, National Road Championships
- 1st Mercan'Tour Classic
- Pan American Games
- 2nd
Time trial
- 2nd
- 2024
- National Road Championships
- 1st Time trial
- 2nd Road race
- 1st
- Tour de France
- 1st
Mountains classification - 1st Stage 17
- Held after Stage 3
- 1st
- 2nd Overall Tour Colombia
- 1st Stage 5
- 4th Overall Vuelta a España
- 7th Overall Tour de Romandie
- 1st Stage 4
- 2025
- 3rd Overall Giro d'Italia
- 1st Stage 11
Grand Tour Results
| Grand Tour general classification results | |||||||||
| Grand Tour | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giro d'Italia |
— | 4 | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | — | 3 |
| Tour de France |
— | — | — | 13 | 3 | — | DNF | 17 | |
 Vuelta a España |
36 | 18 | — | 2 | DNF | 14 | — | 4 | |
Major Stage Race Results
| Major stage race general classification results | |||||||||
| Race | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Paris–Nice |
— | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
 Tirreno–Adriatico |
— | — | 20 | — | — | DNF | — | DNF | 18 |
 Volta a Catalunya |
— | — | 26 | NH | 21 | 2 | 51 | — | 10 |
| Tour of the Basque Country |
— | — | — | — | — | DNF | — | — | |
| Tour de Romandie |
38 | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | |
 Critérium du Dauphiné |
44 | — | — | — | — | — | 36 | — | |
| Tour de Suisse |
— | — | — | NH | 1 | — | — | DNF | |
Major Championships Results
| Event | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games |
Road race | Not held | 1 | Not held | — | |||
| Time trial | — | — | ||||||
 World Championships |
Road race | 71 | DNF | 22 | — | — | — | |
| Time trial | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| National Championships |
Road race | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Time trial | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | |
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
| IP | In progress |
| NH | Not held |
See also
In Spanish: Richard Carapaz para niños
