Richard Carapaz facts for kids
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Carapaz at the 2022 Strade Bianche
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| Personal information | |||
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| 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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Richard Antonio Carapaz Montenegro (born May 29, 1993) is a professional road racing cyclist from Ecuador. He rides for the EF Education–EasyPost team. Richard made history by winning the 2019 Giro d'Italia, becoming the first Ecuadorian to win this huge race.
In July 2021, he won a gold medal in the road race at the 2020 Summer Olympics. This made him the first Ecuadorian cyclist to win an Olympic medal. He was also only the second Ecuadorian athlete in any sport to win an Olympic gold medal! With this win, he became the first cyclist to get an Olympic road race gold medal and also finish on the podium (top three) in all three major cycling races called Grand Tours.
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Early Life and Start in Cycling
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. Juan Carlos was a former Olympic cyclist himself and started a cycling club at the school. This club has helped other professional riders, like Jhonatan Narváez and Jonathan Caicedo, get their start too. Before he began cycling, Richard was a runner for his school.
Professional Cycling Career
Movistar Team (2016–2019)
Richard started his cycling journey with amateur teams in Ecuador, Colombia, and Spain. In 2016, he joined the Movistar Team as a trainee. This meant he was trying out for the team. He did well and signed on as a professional rider for them in 2017.
First Big Races (2017)
In his first full year as a pro, Richard did very well. He finished second in two important races: the GP Industria & Artigianato and the Route du Sud. He also competed in his first ever "Grand Tour" race, the Vuelta a España, finishing 36th overall. Grand Tours are the biggest and longest cycling races.
First Wins and Giro d'Italia Debut (2018)
The year 2018 was exciting for Richard because he got his first professional wins! He won a stage and the overall title in the Vuelta a Asturias. He also won Stage 8 of the Giro d'Italia. This was a huge moment, as he was the first Ecuadorian cyclist to win a stage in a Grand Tour. He finished fourth overall in that Giro, which was a fantastic result for a young rider.
Winning the Giro d'Italia (2019)
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In 2019, Richard won the Vuelta a Asturias again. But his biggest achievement that year was winning the entire 2019 Giro d'Italia. During Stage 4, he made a strong attack in the last kilometer and won the stage. On Stage 13, he attacked again and gained time on the main favorites, Vincenzo Nibali and Primož Roglič.
Then, on Stage 14, Richard attacked once more and won the stage by almost two minutes! This amazing effort put him into the overall lead of the race. He successfully defended his lead for the rest of the Giro, becoming the first Ecuadorian to win a Grand Tour. He was also only the second South American rider to win the Giro, after Nairo Quintana from Colombia.
Team Ineos (2020–2022)
New Team and Tour de France (2020)
Richard joined Team Ineos (now Ineos Grenadiers) in 2020. His first win for the team was on Stage 3 of the Tour de Pologne. In the Tour de France, he came close to winning stages, finishing second twice. He also led the "mountains classification" (for the best climber) for a couple of days.
Later that year, in the 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 finished second overall in the Vuelta, showing he was one of the best Grand Tour riders in the world.
Olympic Gold and Tour de France Podium (2021)
Richard started 2021 by winning the Tour de Suisse, a tough stage race. He won a mountain stage and then held onto the lead to win the whole race.
He then went to the Tour de France as one of his team's leaders. After some teammates had crashes, Richard became the main rider for the team. He rode very well and finished third overall, earning another podium finish in a Grand Tour.
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 rode away from the last rider with him, Brandon McNulty. He crossed the finish line all by himself, winning by over a minute!
Strong Performances (2022)
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In 2022, Richard won the Ecuadorian National Time Trial Championships, his first national title. He also had a great performance in the 2022 Volta a Catalunya, winning a stage and finishing second overall.
He then competed in the 2022 Giro d'Italia, where he again showed his strength. He wore the pink leader's jersey for several stages and finished second overall. Later in the year, at the Vuelta a España, he won three individual stages and also won the "mountains classification" jersey.
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 with them. In 2023, he won the National Road Race Championships and the Mercan'Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes. He also won a silver medal in the time trial at the 2023 Pan American Games.
Tour de France Success (2024)
Even after a crash and illness, Richard entered the 2024 Tour de France. He made history again by wearing the yellow jersey (the 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 the other riders. This made him the first Ecuadorian to win a stage in the Tour de France, and also the first to win a stage in all three Grand Tours (Giro, Tour, and Vuelta).
Richard also won the "polka-dot jersey" for the best climber (King of the Mountains) at the 2024 Tour de France. He secured a big lead in the mountains classification, making him the first Ecuadorian to win this special jersey. He also won the combativity award for Stage 15, 19 and the overall combativity award for the whole Tour.
Major Results
Here are some of Richard Carapaz's most important achievements:
- 2010
- 1st
Road race, National Junior Road Championships
- 1st
- 2013
- 1st
Road race, Pan American Under-23 Road Championships
- 1st
- 2015
- 1st
Overall Vuelta de la Juventud de Colombia
- 1st
- 2016
- 1st Overall Vuelta a Navarra
- 1st
- 2017
- 2nd Overall Route du Sud
- 2018
- 1st
Overall Vuelta a Asturias - 1st Stage 8 Giro d'Italia
- 4th Overall Giro d'Italia
- 1st
- 2019
- 1st
Overall Giro d'Italia - 1st Stages 4 & 14 Giro d'Italia
- 1st Overall Vuelta a Asturias
- 1st
- 2020
- 1st Stage 3 Tour de Pologne
- 2nd Overall Vuelta a España
- 2021
- 1st
Road race, Olympic Games - 1st Overall Tour de Suisse
- 3rd Overall Tour de France
- 1st
- 2022
- 1st Time trial, National Road Championships
- 1st
Mountains classification, Vuelta a España - 1st Stages 12, 14 & 20 Vuelta a España
- 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia
- 1st
- 2023
- 1st Road race, National Road Championships
- 1st Mercan'Tour Classic
- 2nd
Time trial, Pan American Games
- 1st
- 2024
- 1st Time trial, National Road Championships
- 1st
Mountains classification, Tour de France - 1st Stage 17 Tour de France
- 2nd Overall Tour Colombia
- 1st
See also
In Spanish: Richard Carapaz para niños
