Carapaz excited heading into third week

02 Nov 2020

Carapaz excited heading into third week

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Race leader Richard Carapaz is ready for the challenge of the third and final week at the Vuelta a Espana.

A spirited ride saw the INEOS Grenadiers man take back 10 seconds on nearest rival Primoz Roglic on the steep slopes of the Alto de l’Angliru.
 
The race is set to resume on Tuesday, with a 33.7-kilometre time trial test likely to shake up the GC. The Ecuadorian braved the foul weather of the second rest day to take a look at the key TT course.
 
Carapaz also took the time to reflect on the first 12 stages of the event.
 
He told INEOSGrenadiers.com: “I’m going to take the rest day really easy, because the time trial tomorrow is really hard. I have prepared the best I can for that, staying as calm as possible, and I think I’m going to do well in it. But in the last week there are still a lot of kilometres left to ride and a lot of mountains to climb.”
Richard Carapaz

Richard Carapaz

It’s been a battle for the jersey and it’s been good for the viewers to watch.
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Carapaz has never been outside of the top three so far in Spain, taking the lead on stage six with some attacking riding and spending four days in the red jersey.
 
On the opening phase of the race he added: “The first week was pretty tough already in the medium mountains, and it started to show who the favourites were in the race. I had a good opportunity to get into red jersey early on, then we lost it again, but it kind of made the race much more exciting and fun, with the jersey going between me and Roglic. It’s been a battle for the jersey and it’s been good for the viewers to watch. I have had a good team to help me fight for the Vuelta.”
 
With the top four riders all within 35 seconds, the final week is shaping up to be a thrilling one. Carapaz is well aware of his rivals. He continued: “Well to be honest, a lot of the riders here have a lot of Grand Tour experience, and clearly (Hugh) Carthy has a lot of potential. On Angliru he showed that he was strong. Things will become clearer over the final week – we will see where we stand, and if we can win the Vuelta.”