The rider

Richard Carapaz remains one of the peloton's great disruptors, a rider whose résumé is already complete but whose racing still feels hungry. Giro winner, Olympic road champion, Tour podium finisher and mountains-classification winner, the Locomotive of Carchi has spent years proving that he is most dangerous when a race begins to look settled. A perineal cyst forced him out of the 2026 Giro, so the Tour becomes a reset with altitude work in his legs and unfinished business in his head.

EF do not need Carapaz to ride conservatively for a polite top ten. They need the version who attacks from distance, changes the meaning of a climb, and makes stronger teams decide whether to chase now or gamble later. Alongside Ben Healy, he gives EF two riders who are comfortable creating disorder rather than waiting for permission. That matters against superteams. Carapaz may not control the race every day, but he can make control expensive.

His story still carries the force of origin: a rider from El Carchi who turned borrowed-bike beginnings into Ecuador's first Grand Tour victory and an Olympic gold medal. That background shows in his racing. He is compact, stubborn and tactically fearless, especially when the road is steep enough to punish hesitation. The 2026 Tour target can be stage wins, polka dots, a GC push, or some volatile combination of all three. With Carapaz, the answer often changes mid-stage.