Among Richard Carapaz's most trusted teammates is Mikkel Honoré, the Danish rider who has a very special relationship with Italy: his wife is named Marilisa Zanini and she is the daughter of journalist Tina Ruggeri.

In Wednesday's stage, Honoré played an important role in the team and thanks to his work, he helped Carapaz achieve a solo victory at the Castelnovo ne' Monti finish line.

"It's very easy to work with Richard, he's truly calm, a very likable leader, respectful and always good at motivating the entire team: in the Castelnovo ne' Monti stage we arrived at the last climb following a precise plan. I was supposed to stay on his wheel and wait until the top or the last kilometers, but Georg Steinhauser pulled so hard and I was behind Richard, so we understood we had to go all out".

Honoré is an experienced rider: after racing for several years with Lefevere's Quick Step, in 2023 he arrived at EF Education – EasyPost, where he has been performing very well. He has also played a central role in the Danish national team, helping team leaders position themselves in the best way.

"While climbing, we showed we could do important actions, without the need to talk to each other. Between us, not a single word was exchanged and precisely for this reason, our action was beautiful. We acted on instinct and nothing we did was pre-arranged, but we understood each other without saying anything. We wanted to pull hard and as soon as I moved, we knew Richard would go straight to victory".

Carapaz won the Giro d'Italia in 2019 and then came second in 2022 and returned this year with the intention of winning again. "We know Richard has the skill to win and he has already proven it, but the Giro is still long and we must stay calm, and keep our feet on the ground and recover well day by day and we'll see what we can do".

EF Education – EasyPost has brought a team that will have to protect Richard Carapaz, trying to keep him away from dangers and at the same time ensure he always stays with the best group. Mikkel Honoré is one of the riders closest to the Ecuadorian and will have the task of escorting and protecting him always. "We can say we have already done something important, because we have already won a stage with Richard and it was truly exciting and important for the entire team".