After claiming the country’s first Grand Tour title with his triumph at the 2019 Giro d’Italia, he more recently became the first to stand on the podium of the Tour de France.
On a sultry Saturday in Tokyo, Carapaz clinched the men’s road race title to become the second Ecuadorian to win an Olympic medal in the history of the Games.
It’s special because it’s the first in this sport and I think it’s the sport most people follow in my country.
Lining up in Tokyo as one arm of a two-man Ecuadorian team – alongside Jhonatan Narvaez – and facing the threats of Tadej Pogačar’s climbing and Wout van Aert’s finishing, he knew he had to race smart.
Carapaz didn’t directly respond when Pogačar opened up the race on Mikuni Pass but was nevertheless present and correct among the select dozen that went over the top.
The pair opened a gap and collaborated to keep the at-times disorganized chasers at bay, riding together onto the Fuji Speedway, where strength began to tell and Carapaz eased clear.
“It was a bit of a crazy day, and a very hard race,” he said.
“The speed on the climb was very fast, and then there were lots of attacks.
I had my doubts because there were a lot of strong riders behind who could have come back, but in the end I had good legs, and those 30 seconds we carved out served me well.
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