Carapaz “had to play his cards early” and did it really well: Ecuadorian now third in the overall ranking

Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) attacked 80 kilometers from the finish on Sunday in the stage won by Yates. It was a brave but successful tactic, as the Ecuadorian finished second and is now third in the overall standings. Carapaz told his story on Eurosport.

“I knew it was going to be a tough day,” the EF man began. “I felt good today. We had to play our cards early because I was way back in the overall standings.” Carapaz certainly played his cards early: He attacked from the peloton on the first climb of the day.

“I tried and in the end it worked out well. It's fantastic to finish in second place like this,” continued the visibly proud Ecuadorian. “I knew it would be difficult, but I trusted my preparation and training. I had to be patient and that's what I did today. It went well and I knew I was the strongest when I attacked.”

With his fabulous performance, Carapaz is now the new number three in the overall ranking, 4.32 minutes behind leader Ben O'Connor. He doesn't dare say where the EF Education-EasyPost rider's ranking will end up. “We did a fantastic job and I'll see where I end up. There are still many tough stages ahead of us,” the Ecuadorian says, looking forward with a down-to-earth attitude.