Richard Carapaz may have to ride and drive 900km to catch flight to Europe to defend Giro d’Italia title

The Ecuadorian would have to travel from his home to the Colombian capital by car and bike before he can fly

Richard Carapaz winning the Giro d'Italia 2019 (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Richard Carapaz may have to ride his bike and drive 900km to make a flight to Europe in order to defend his Giro d’Italia title.

The Ecuadorian rider and his Team Ineos team-mate Jhonatan Narváez are making plans to travel ready for the return of racing next month, with the pair intending to catch a humanitarian flight to Spain.

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Alex Ballinger

Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers.  Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.