Richard Carapaz will be forced to spend a few days away from his bike and racing. The Ecuadorian from EF Education-Easypost, in fact, underwent surgery in recent hours to address a problem in the perineal area that will temporarily prevent him from watching the races and the exploits of his teammates from the sidelines.

"It wasn't in the plans, but it was managed in the best possible way" the third-place finisher at last year's Giro d'Italia announced through his Instagram account.

"I underwent surgery for a problem in the perineal area: everything went as planned. From this moment on, I will be fully focused on recovery and returning to my peak levels in preparation for the Giro d'Italia. I thank Dr. Reinhart and his team of professionals who accompanied me during the operation, Hospital Axxis for the excellent work done, and all of you for the constant support you give me".

Carapaz, therefore, once recovered and having put the physiological period of rest behind him, will resume his determined path in search of the best condition in preparation for the start (scheduled for May 8th from Nessebar) of the Corsa Rosa, an appointment that will constitute his main objective for the first part of the season and where, after the podiums of 2025 and 2022 and especially the victory of 2019, he will seek once again to be among the main protagonists.

The operation, therefore, although unplanned, should not compromise his preparation for the first Grand Tour of the season too much, a race that the thirty-two-year-old from El Carmelo should reach, according to what was previously announced, without taking part in any race in between: if that is the case, the Olympic champion from Tokyo 2021 will present himself in Bulgaria with a 6th place (the one obtained in the penultimate stage of the recent Volta Catalunya) as the best placement of his, so far, brief season.