Talk about a punch in the gut.
Exactly one week before the start of this year’s Tour de France, officials for team EF Education EasyPost announced that its top rider and last year’s King of the Mountains will be unable to compete.
The American World Tour team, headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, announced Saturday that Ecuadorian rider Richard Carapaz sustained a gastrointestinal infection — or stomach bug — while training, and will be unable to compete in the prestigious race. The 2025 Tour de France begins on July 5 and runs through July 27.
“Last week, he began experiencing abdominal pain and a high fever,” an announcement on the EF team website read. “[Doctors] have advised against long-haul travel and competition at this time. As a result, Richard will not take part in this year’s Tour de France.”
Carapaz, an Olympic gold medalist and 2029 Giro d’Italia champion, finished third in this year’s Giro d’Italia, and appeared poised to build on his success in last year’s Tour de France. The 32-year-old earned both a stage victory and King of the Mountains title in what was his sixth Tour de France, an event he placed third overall back in 2021. The King of the Mountain title, and its infamous red and white polka-dot jersey, is awarded to the rider who gains the most points in the Tour’s climbing stages.
After experiencing abdominal pain and a high fever while training in his home country, though, those hopes were dashed when testing confirmed a gastrointestinal infection.
“We’re all gutted for Richard,” EF General Manager Jonathan Vaughters wrote in an ironically punny statement. “He came out of the Giro with amazing form. He sacrificed a lot to get to that level, so the timing really couldn’t be worse. We know how much the Tour means to him, so to lose him this close to the race is a real blow.”
Carapaz has established quite a resume across cycling’s three Grand Tours with six podium finishes since 2019. After winning the affirmation Giro in 2019, he went on to place second in the event in 2022, after having also recorded a second-place finish at the Vuelta de Espana in 2020.
His gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics road race competition, meanwhile, made him the first Ecuadorian cyclist to win a medal and second Ecuadorian in any sport to win an Olympic gold medal.
For his part, Carapaz acknowledged the news on his verified Instagram account, in which he posted a black and white image of himself with a chain adorned with a crucifix draped around his face.
“It’s with great sadness that I have to tell you that a gastrointestinal infection is forcing me to miss the Tour de France,” the post was captioned. “Not the best news, but health always comes first. Thank you all for your messages and support.”
According to the EF Education team statement, Carapaz now has his eyes set on the 21-stage Vuelta, which begins in Spain on Aug. 23 and runs for 23 days.
“His goal? Win the Vuelta a España,” the statement read.
If you love sports, download Stadium Rant from the Apple App Store and join one of the fastest-growing social sports communities. Be sure to follow us on socials too — you can find all our profiles on our Linktree.
