The EF Education-EasyPost cyclist, Richard Carapaz, has a new challenge before the Tour de France, it is the Critérium du Dauphiné, which also takes place in the French country next Sunday, where the Ecuadorian will seek his second victory in the old continent this season.
The Olympic champion of the route in Tokyo 2020 took first place in the Mercan Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes, which took place in France and had a distance of 169.2 kilometers.
Carapaz returned to the slopes after a month, when he withdrew from the Itzulia Basque Country, in Stage 5 due to an allergy. Now the Ecuadorian continues to prepare for the Tour de France, his most important competition of the year.
The EF Education-EasyPost revealed the list with which he will face the 75th edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné, in which, in addition to the Ecuadorian, there will be the Colombian Esteban Chaves and the Costa Rican Andrey Amador. The three have competed together this season in several races to prepare for the foray into the ‘Grand Bouclé’.
The World Tour squad is completed by the American Sean Quinn, the Italian Andrea Piccolo and the British Owain Douli and James Shaw. This quartet will surround the national road champions of Colombia and Ecuador.
The Critérium du Dauphiné is one of the most prestigious one-week races on the road cycling calendar, it will take place from June 4 to 11 with a luxury poster. Among the favorites to win this competition are Richard Carapaz, the Colombians Egan Bernal, Daniel Felipe Martínez, Esteban Chaves; the Spanish Enric Mas and Jonas Vingegaard, winner of the 2022 Tour de France.
The race, considered a first dress rehearsal for the Tour de France, will consist of eight stages, with a special role for the last two: the seventh and eighth, which are medium-mountain.