Richard Carapaz has stated he has a "very clear objective" of emulating his 2019 success and winning the Giro d'Italia again this year, which gets underway in Budapest on Friday.
The Ineos Grenadiers rider is currently the bookies' favourite to win the Giro d'Italia outright, and he seemed confident of achieving that goal while speaking at the team's pre-race press conference.
“We come to the Giro with a complete team, with the ambitions of doing things well, with the intention of winning,” Carapaz said. “I think my preparation was optimal in Ecuador, and we’re ready to take on the race.
“This Giro is my latest objective and a very personal challenge. To race the Giro with such a strong team is very important, and I want to do it the best possible way and try to win.”
If Carapaz is successful in his ambition, he would secure Ineos Grenadiers their fourth Giro victory in five years - the only time Ineos didn't win was in 2019, when Carapaz himself took the pink jersey while riding for Movistar. The Ecuadorian benefitted from aggressive tactics employed by the Spanish outfit, helping him to become the first rider from his country to win a Grand Tour.
This year is different, though. Carapaz claims he has matured a lot as a rider, and this time around he is leading the team, rather than sharing responsibilities like he did in 2019.
“Winning the Giro was a great moment for me," Carapaz explained. "It was only my second Grand Tour and I was able to win by attacking. I remember it was raining and I was wearing the jersey of the best young rider. All of this was very special.
“I am a very different rider from when I won the 2019 Giro. I’ve learned a lot, I’ve raced many different races, against some big rivals. Now more than ever I come to this Giro with a very clear objective. In 2019, I was sharing the role of the leader on the team.”
However, the 28-year-old's ambitions don't just stop there.
Carapaz also confirmed during the press conference he will compete at the Vuelta a España later on this year, with the aim of winning two Grand Tours this year. For now though, the Ecuadorian seems fully focussed on achieving the first half of that goal and securing the maglia rosa come May 29.
"It's a new objective and very personal one," Carapaz said of riding both the Giro and the Vuelta. "Racing here with a strong team is very important, I want to do as well as possible and try to win."
