Richard Carapaz discussion thread

[DNP-Old]

Since one decent result is apparently enough to get your own thread on this board, I thought I might open one for Richard Carapaz, a phenomenon from El Carmelo in Ecuador, currently riding for Spanish side Lizarte, and certainly a rider to keep an eye on as he makes his steps on European soil.

People who pay attention and are interested in South-American cycling are sure to be familiar with this name: Richard, often called Richie, Carapaz. Just last year Richie dominated every single Colombian in the Vuelta de la Juventud, basically the Vuelta a Colombia for the U23 ranks. He won two stages and the overall. Second came Aldemar Reyes, a pretty talented kid who was the best U23 rider in the Vuelta. Jhonatan Restrepo, currently riding for World Tour side Katusha, finished 3rd.

He continued so show promise when he won a stage in the Clasico RCN, pretty much the one of the biggest races in all of South-American cycling. Robinson Chalapud didn’t stand a chance.

A few years back, in 2013, Richie rode his first ever race in Europe: he finished 9th the Tour des Pays de Savoie, behind some familiar names: Louis Vervaeke, Clement Chevrier, and Pierre Latour. Not a bad result at all, considering the circumstances.

Now, after starting the 2016 season with his team Strongman Campagnolo (and riding the Tour de San Luis), Carapaz is making his first steps to a professional career in Europe with Lizarte. Rumor has it a deal is already in place with Movistar, who continue to show to have a pretty decent scouting. Last week, in his first ever race with Lizarte, Richie managed to get a 2nd place (behind a teammate), and he won the KOM of the Memorial Aitor Bugallo. Later this season, Richie will return with his original team, Strongman Campagnolo, to ride the Vuelta a Colombia, to once again show his magnificent talent.

Results and victories:
2010
2010 2º in National Championship, Road, ITT, Juniors, Ecuador, Quito (Pichincha), Ecuador
2010 1º in National Championship, Road, Juniors, Ecuador, Ecuador
2010 1º in National Games, Road, ITT, Juniors, Ecuador, Cuenca (Azuay), Ecuador
2010 1º in National Games, Road, Juniors, Ecuador, Cuenca (Azuay), Ecuador

2011
2011 2º in National Championship, Road, ITT, Juniors, Ecuador, Guayaquil (Guayas), Ecuador

2012
2012 2º in Stage 8 Vuelta Ciclista a la Republica del Ecuador, Machachi (Pichincha), Ecuador

2013
2013 2º in Stage 5 Vuelta a Guatemala, Huehuetenango (Huehuetenango), Guatemala
2013 9º in General Classification Vuelta a Guatemala, Guatemala
2013 1º in Pan American Championships, Road, U23, Zacatecas (Zacatecas), Mexico
2013 4º in Stage 1 Tour des Pays de Savoie, Assy (Rhone-Alpes), France
2013 5º in Stage 2 Tour des Pays de Savoie, France
2013 2º in Stage 3 Tour des Pays de Savoie, Valmeinier (Rhone-Alpes), France
2013 9º in General Classification Tour des Pays de Savoie, France
2013 3º in Stage 5 Vuelta Ciclista a la Republica del Ecuador, Santo Domingo (Chimborazo), Ecuador
2013 3º in Stage 7 Vuelta Ciclista a la Republica del Ecuador, Puyo (Azuay), Ecuador
2013 2º in Stage 10 Vuelta Ciclista a la Republica del Ecuador, Romerillos (Pichincha), Ecuador
2013 2º in General Classification Vuelta Ciclista a la Republica del Ecuador, Ecuador
2013 4º in Juegos Bolivarianos, Road, ITT, Elite, Trujillo (La Libertad), Peru

2014
2014 3º in Stage 1 Vuelta Ciclista a la Republica del Ecuador, Ibarra (Pichincha), Ecuador
2014 2º in Stage 2 Vuelta Ciclista a la Republica del Ecuador, Cayambe (Pichincha), Ecuador
2014 2º in General Classification Vuelta Ciclista a la Republica del Ecuador, Ecuador

2015
2015 1º in Stage 3 Vuelta a Colombia, (Vuelta de la Juventud Colombia, U23), Riosucio (Caldas), Colombia
2015 1º in Stage 4 Vuelta a Colombia, (Vuelta de la Juventud Colombia, U23), Concordia (Antioquia), Colombia
2015 1º in General Classification Vuelta a Colombia, (Vuelta de la Juventud Colombia, U23), Colombia
2015 1º in Stage 2 Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento, (Clásica Ciudad de Soacha), Colombia
2015 4º in General Classification Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento, (Clásica Ciudad de Soacha), Colombia
2015 2º in Stage 4 Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento, (Clásica Ciudad de Soacha), Colombia
2015 1º in Stage 4 Clásico RCN, Zipaquirá (Cundinamarca), Colombia
2015 3º in Stage 9 Clásico RCN, Ibagué (Tolima), Colombia

2016
2016 2º in Stage 2 Clásico Virgen de la Purificación, Ecuador
2016 4º in General Classification Vuelta al Valle del Cauca, Colombia
2016 2º in Memorial Aitor Bugallo, Spain

 

[Ruudz0r]

I am with you (of course), good to have him back in Europe he really deserved his shot, was really hoping for him to go well in San Luis which I thought was his oppertunity to come back to Europe, but some crashes took its toll there. But apparantly that didnt matter and he now still has his shot at Lizarte, unfortunately he cannot ride the U23 races anymore and I doubt Lizarte will do a lot of the bigger races but he will have his chances to proof to the pro teams what he is worth.

 

[DNP-Old]

Re:

I am with you (of course), good to have him back in Europe he really deserved his shot, was really hoping for him to go well in San Luis which I thought was his oppertunity to come back to Europe, but some crashes took its toll there. But apparantly that didnt matter and he now still has his shot at Lizarte, unfortunately he cannot ride the U23 races anymore and I doubt Lizarte will do a lot of the bigger races but he will have his chances to proof to the pro teams what he is worth.

Well, if the rumors are true, his stay with Lizarte is only to gain experience in European cycling, as he supposedly already has an agreement with Movistar. It's one of the most things I've heard said in the past couple weeks, and I actually believe those rumors, since Movistar did the same in the past with Dayer Quintana.

I don't exactly know what races he will ride in the coming weeks, but looking at Lizarte's calender, I think he'll be able to find some races of his liking and put up some nice results.

Abril
2 LVI Premio Primavera Amorebieta (Vizcaya) Torneo Lehendakari
2 IX Subida al Castillo de Cuéllar Cuéllar (Segovia) Federación Española
3 XLV Memorial Valenciaga Eibar (Guipúzcoa) Copa de España
3 LVIII Gran Premio Ciclista Cuéllar Cuéllar (Segovia) Federación Española
10 I Memorial Xavi Tondo Valls (Tarragona) Copa de España
10 LXXIV Circuito de Pascuas Oteiza (Navarra) Federación Española
17 XXXII Clásica de Torredonjimeno Torredonjimeno (Jaén) Copa de España
23 LXX Gran Premio Vila-real Vila-Real (Castellón) Federación Española
24 III Memorial Pascual Momparler Villanueva de C. (Valencia) Copa de España
24 XLVIII Trofeo Eusebio Vélez Durana (Álava) Torneo Lehendakari
30 LXXIII Lazkaoko Proba Lazkao (Guipúzcoa) Torneo Euskaldun

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

I sincerely hope he has a contract with movistar wt next year. he's the real deal though and although not always very professional and suffering with weight issues he has become more stabile in recent years. there's another monstertalent coming through from ecuador in the quickstep u23 team right now, 18 year old and current world junior pursuit record holder (he trashed that world record last year!) jonathan narvaez

 

[Bushman]

Re:

I sincerely hope he has a contract with movistar wt next year. he's the real deal though and although not always very professional and suffering with weight issues he has become more stabile in recent years. there's another monstertalent coming through from ecuador in the quickstep u23 team right now, 18 year old and current world junior pursuit record holder (he trashed that world record last year!) jonathan narvaez

That's funny. I stumbled across his name on procyclingstats yesterday and wanted to know more about him.

What kind of rider is he?

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

he's not a climber. but more a rouleur. really strong guy. he's more for the shorter kind of efforts, good sprints and short itt. I would guess since he comes from serious altitude that he will also have the engine to do classical races like pretty much all colombians can as well. ecuador is even higher. he's a gaviria type of rider. also in build, although slightly more bulky I think

 

[Brullnux]

I imagine less quick than Gaviria and with a longer engine. Gaviria was never special in the pursuit. But Narvaez is 18 and not winning gold medal at world championships in the pursuit; Ganna is 19 and has won gold in the pursuit. I think Ganna might be a bigger talent.

Anyway, back to Carapaz: seems like a good talent, wonder if he'll reach his full potential or they turn into another Moser or more dramatically Betancur.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

gaviria wasn't super quick either when he was 18. narvaez is quicker now I think than gaviria was at his age. also narvaez didn't ride the world championships pursuit for elite this year. narvaez is better in hills though I think, but engine wise we will see. I don't think anyone has a bigger engine almost than gaviria.


thinking about carapaz. I'm pretty sure indeed he has a contract with movistar wt. why else would he leave a full time professional contract at his pro colombian team strongman and his family (he already has a child) for a meager spanish adventure for a lot less pay.

 

[Escarabajo]

Looks like a good talent but need to capitalize on his few opportunities. He does not have room for crashes. That's part of cycling anyway.

 

[Arredondo]

Re:

gaviria wasn't super quick either when he was 18. narvaez is quicker now I think than gaviria was at his age. also narvaez didn't ride the world championships pursuit for elite this year. narvaez is better in hills though I think, but engine wise we will see. I don't think anyone has a bigger engine almost than gaviria.


thinking about carapaz. I'm pretty sure indeed he has a contract with movistar wt. why else would he leave a full time professional contract at his pro colombian team strongman and his family (he already has a child) for a meager spanish adventure for a lot less pay.

What's the situation of Aguirre btw? Is he under the radar of some WT-teams? Or will he stay for another year/maybe 2 with his current team?

 

[Ruudz0r]

I really dont think Narvaez is like Gaviria, he is talented thats for sure but he finished 2nd in Vuelta Porvenir as a first year junior (this is by heart could be mistaken). I know he took some time in the first stage with a break there but still he did very well in the mountains.
He did get a World Record in the IP for juniors, but it was on the altitude track in Mexico I dont think he would have gotten a World record on any other track in the world.
I think he is very talented and he started his season well with Klein Constantia but I certainly dont see him as the same type of rider as Gaviria.

 

[Ruudz0r]

Re: Re:

gaviria wasn't super quick either when he was 18. narvaez is quicker now I think than gaviria was at his age. also narvaez didn't ride the world championships pursuit for elite this year. narvaez is better in hills though I think, but engine wise we will see. I don't think anyone has a bigger engine almost than gaviria.


thinking about carapaz. I'm pretty sure indeed he has a contract with movistar wt. why else would he leave a full time professional contract at his pro colombian team strongman and his family (he already has a child) for a meager spanish adventure for a lot less pay.

What's the situation of Aguirre btw? Is he under the radar of some WT-teams? Or will he stay for another year/maybe 2 with his current team?

Aguirre is currently being schooled in the Clasica Anapoima bit disappointing how he is riding there, but he will certainly get back to a better level and I am sure he is on the radar of some teams after last years performance in the VUelta Colombia. Guess a lot of teams are curious how he will do in Europe this year.

 

[Arredondo]

Re: Re:

gaviria wasn't super quick either when he was 18. narvaez is quicker now I think than gaviria was at his age. also narvaez didn't ride the world championships pursuit for elite this year. narvaez is better in hills though I think, but engine wise we will see. I don't think anyone has a bigger engine almost than gaviria.


thinking about carapaz. I'm pretty sure indeed he has a contract with movistar wt. why else would he leave a full time professional contract at his pro colombian team strongman and his family (he already has a child) for a meager spanish adventure for a lot less pay.

What's the situation of Aguirre btw? Is he under the radar of some WT-teams? Or will he stay for another year/maybe 2 with his current team?

Aguirre is currently being schooled in the Clasica Anapoima bit disappointing how he is riding there, but he will certainly get back to a better level and I am sure he is on the radar of some teams after last years performance in the VUelta Colombia. Guess a lot of teams are curious how he will do in Europe this year.

Thx for the info. Is there any reason why he performs at a lower level atm? Or just the normal progression like every young rider faces along the road, with ups and downs?

 

[DNP-Old]

ALINEACION XLV Memorial Valenciaga: Richard Carapaz, Héctor Carretero, Jaime Castrillo, Marcos Jurado, Óscar Rodríguez, Marcos Rojo, Sergio Samitier

Carapaz ftw!

 

[proffz]

carapaz comes from the likes of l. cely, the former gw shimano ds when the team was involved in many problems with antidoping.
under the direction of cely he won the last vuelta joventud , destroying reyes and aguirre-
then he did very well in the rcn.

i think that unzue after the ospina affair wants to test the young sudamericans for 1 year in the development team before signing them definitely with movistar.
I was quite surprised that richard was not inserted in movistar america, but he has no experience in european races, so 1 year with lizarte could be a good school.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Re:

carapaz comes from the likes of l. cely, the former gw shimano ds when the team was involved in many problems with antidoping.
under the direction of cely he won the last vuelta joventud , destroying reyes and aguirre-
then he did very well in the rcn.

i think that unzue after the ospina affair wants to test the young sudamericans for 1 year in the development team before signing them definitely with movistar.
I was quite surprised that richard was not inserted in movistar america, but he has no experience in european races, so 1 year with lizarte could be a good school.

load of bull. last year carapaz rode with strongman when that team wasn't led by cely. cely still had his formesan team. only this year has cely gotten to strongman team

 

[slosada]

Re: Re:

carapaz comes from the likes of l. cely, the former gw shimano ds when the team was involved in many problems with antidoping.
under the direction of cely he won the last vuelta joventud , destroying reyes and aguirre-
then he did very well in the rcn.

i think that unzue after the ospina affair wants to test the young sudamericans for 1 year in the development team before signing them definitely with movistar.
I was quite surprised that richard was not inserted in movistar america, but he has no experience in european races, so 1 year with lizarte could be a good school.

load of bull. last year carapaz rode with strongman when that team wasn't led by cely. cely still had his formesan team. only this year has cely gotten to strongman team

Sure, loads of BS:
From http://revistamundociclistico.com/r...colombia-es-abrir-puertas-hacia-el-mundo.html:

El gran campeón estuvo en Bogotá este lunes después de su brillante victoria, visitando a su patrocinador del equipo Strongman- Campagnolo don Basilio Aristizábal, gestor del equipo y quien aportó desde comienzos de año todo lo necesario para la formación del equipo y facilitó los elementos necesarios para la mejor preparación de sus corredores al mando de Luis A Cely, quien estuvo un mes antes de la Vuelta de la Juventud concentrado en la sabana de Bogotá con sus corredores.

From: http://federacioncolombianadeciclis...ber-ganado-todo-puede-suceder-richard-carapaz

“Hicimos una gran crono. Yo les había dicho que Richard se defendía y sabíamos que los rivales más cercanos no eran expertos contrarrelojeros. Entonces la idea era perder poco (tiempo) y si no, ganarles algo más”, dijo el entrenador del Strogman Campagnolo, Luis Alfonso Cely, quien ha liderado al equipo con tres triunfos de etapa, además de tener en poder las camisetas de la regularidad, la montaña y la general.

 

[proffz]

Re: Re:

carapaz comes from the likes of l. cely, the former gw shimano ds when the team was involved in many problems with antidoping.
under the direction of cely he won the last vuelta joventud , destroying reyes and aguirre-
then he did very well in the rcn.

i think that unzue after the ospina affair wants to test the young sudamericans for 1 year in the development team before signing them definitely with movistar.
I was quite surprised that richard was not inserted in movistar america, but he has no experience in european races, so 1 year with lizarte could be a good school.

load of bull. last year carapaz rode with strongman when that team wasn't led by cely. cely still had his formesan team. only this year has cely gotten to strongman team

may be it is better you look for some information before writing.
facts checking.

thank you slosada

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

my bad then, who was in charge of formesan then last year? I'm 100% sure was cely. read an interview on it with fernando camargo

 

[DNP-Old]

I believe he just came second in Memorial Valenciaga. Waiting for confirmation.

 

[Ruudz0r]

From the info that I got he came solo over the last climb, but got caught in the end (dont know by how many guys). But I am not sure if my info is 100% correct

 

[DNP-Old]

2nd place it is. Díaz Gallego won.

 

[Ruudz0r]

Bit strange though, he was leading solo with 4K to go I read from several people on twitter and he finisehd 17s down (while there were no obstacles in the end)

 

[DNP-Old]

I Memorial Xavi Tondo: Richard Carapaz, Héctor Carretero, Marcos Jurado, Martí Márquez, Óscar Rodríguez, Marcos Rojo, Sergio Samitier.

 

[luckyboy]

Not to derail this thread but I notice the first post mentions Katusha's Restrepo. What's he like? Don't know much about him or his results at all..