GP Larciano
Movistar Team youngster from Ecuador comes incredibly close to first pro win: 2nd to Adam Yates (ORS), after making elite group into decisive San Baronto climb. Rojas finishes 10th in second race after injury
Richard Carapaz (Movistar Team) showed at Sunday's GP Industria e Artigianato di Larciano (UCI 1.HC, 199km) how bright his future looks as a professional. The man from Carchí, Ecuador, who is completing his first full season as a WorldTour competitor in 2017, responded to the Blues' confidence, including Nairo Quintana's support as initial, designated leader, to make the decisive split in a tough race, including some rainy spells, in Tuscany.
Carapaz, attentive to the final moves, reached an elite group including Cattaneo, Bernal (AND), Urán, Clarke (CDT) and Adam Yates (ORS) that held off the late charge by the sprinters' teams, the six-man attempt reaching the final summit of four climbs to San Baronto with 29" over the field. At the closing sprint, Carapaz sought for a way to surprise other squads with two members and anticipated his sprint, with only Yates able to beat him by few centimeters -even coming close to a sour celebration, Richard still making efforts as the Briton celebrated-.
‘Richie’ rounded off an overall satisfactory performance from the José Luis Jaimerena-led group, with Betancur, Arcas and Bico working hard from the start plus José Joaquín Rojas taking a fantastic 10th spot, in only his second race following his injuries in September last year.
REACTION:
Richard Carapaz (courtesy CyclingPro): “I'm really happy with how things went. I want to thank the whole team, after all the confidence they put on me and the support I had from the start of the race. We were talking the two of us, Nairo and myself, about how to profit from our chances, seeing that it was getting tougher and tougher – I was feeling strong coming into the last climb and we decided to give it a go. I'm still a neo-pro: I'm keeping my excitement high with every race I take part in, and I don't plan about the future. The team will be deciding on my next races; I'm not asking for anything in particular, and should big races come for me, it'd be great, but for the time being, I'm just happy to be part of this squad."