RICHARD CARAPAZ ONCE IN A THOUSAND YEARS

Richard Carapaz’s victory in the 2019 Giro d’Italia was historic for Ecuadorian cycling - the first grand tour victory for the South American country. It may not be the last - before the last-minute roster change for the Ineos Grenadiers that saw the in-form Carapaz put into the Tour de France squad, he was originally intending to defend his Giro crown.

Not only was the 27-year-old from El Carchi - a northerly region some 3,000 metres above sea level, abutting the Colombian border - Ecuador’s first ever grand tour winner and the first rider ever to make it into the WorldTour. He was also the country’s first Europeanbased professional in its history. In contrast, there have been Colombian pros for 50 years.

For Ecuador, Carapaz’s Giro victory is unofficially ranked as one of the country’s three greatest sporting achievements, along with roadwalker Jefferson Pérez’s gold medal in the 1996 Olympic 20km walk and Alberto ‘Cabeza Magica’ (‘Magic Head’) Spencer’s footballing achievements in the Copa Libertadores - South America’s biggest football tournament - in the 1960s and 70s. So Carapaz’s victory sounded like a sporting fairytale come true. But, he warns, there could well be a catch

“Ecuador is a country with a very limited history of cycling,” Carapaz tells . “And for the general public, my suddenly winning a grand tour felt very random. They enjoyed it, but the memory of it is fading away.” He argues, strongly, that what little cycling culture there ever was in Ecuador - and most of it remains centred