Richard Carapaz became Ecuador’s first grand tour champion by winning the Giro d’Italia. (in the following video, he wears dark blue shirt dark blue helmet, and is in 4th place at the start of the video, and the video is done in 2 minutes, and yes, it's worth watching)
Carapaz, who rides for Movistar, won the gruelling 14th stage of the three week race on May 25th gaining time on the supposed big favourites every time the road went uphill. He was allowed to ride up the road while the favourites slugged out behind, oblivious to the threat.
The script had the race lead passing from one Slovenian (Jan Polanc) to another (Roglic). But Carapaz took advantage of the simmering rivalry between leader-elect Roglic and Nibali to attack.
“This is the biggest moment of my sporting life,” he said. “In this final time trial I just suffered from start to finish until I reached the arena of Verona. It’s fabulous to win the Giro d’Italia.”
He finished the race 1min 5sec ahead of the home favourite Vincenzo Nibali and 2.30 in front of the Slovenian Primoz Roglic, who leapfrogged Mikel Landa into third spot.
Carapaz's parents had flown over from Ecuador – the first time they had been on an aeroplane.
The 'Locomotive of Carchi', is the nickname that has caught on over the past three weeks.
Indeed, the consensus was that Carapaz, in becoming the first Ecuadorean to win a Grand Tour and the second South American - after Colombian Nairo Quintana - to win the Giro, had instantly become one of the country's all-time sporting greats.
"June 2 is an indelible date in the history of Ecuadorian sport, and from now is the national day of cycling. It’s the date that Richard Carapaz became, through a superhuman performance, one of the country's greatest sporting figures."
Ecuador President Lenin Moreno said: "There are 17 million hearts that have been cheered by Richard Carapaz, who has shown us we can do great things."
Writing in El Telegrafo, former cycling-cross rider Sebastian Palacios issued something of a call to arms. "Some say sport changes lives. I believe that sport can change an entire country," he wrote. "For that, Richard's triumph, as well as filling us with happiness and pride, must make us reflect on those athletes who have the ability but not the means - those that need dedicated structures to help them train, to provide them with the resources to enable them to fulfil their potential.
Fewer words and more actions. Let’s hope that, with Richard's victory, the government treats sport as a priority and that the President understands the benefits of investing in sport, which keeps us healthy, keeps us away from drugs and other vices, and cultivates values like discipline and perseverance."
Ecuador President Moreno has just announced that taxes on bicycle imports will be removed, and that the state will go further in supporting its athletes.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jun/02/richard-carapaz-cycling-giro-ditalia-grand-tour
https://www.bicycling.com/racing/a27529140/giro-ditalia-results/
https://www.eurosport.com/cycling/giro-d-italia/2019/blazin-saddles-the-moment-richard-carapaz-won-and-other-giro-d-italia-talking-points_sto7311802/story.shtml
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