Injured left knee and visibly difficult to pedal, an Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) managed to cross the finish line in Bilbao, at the end of the competition the first stage of the Tour de France.

Carchense fell 23 kilometers from the finish lineat the stop with the Spaniard Enrico Masa (Movistar), who had worse luck and could not continue the test, with which the first withdrawal of this 2023 year was recorded.

Autumn complicates Richard Carapaz at the Tour de France

“One followed the curve a little more and both fell to the groundbut these are things that can happen, we are exposed to it and today it happened to us”, said Juanma Gárate, EF sports director.

in dialogue with ESPNcommented the Spaniard in the dialogue while assisting the Ecuadorian runner, before deciding to rejoin the race.

“We talked, I told him to be calmthat we have time to make a decision. I couldn’t move my legbut we know that a blow to the knee leaves us briefly paralyzed. There is a lump, but probably no fracturewe will appreciate it”, Gárate pointed out.

In a post on social networks, EF reported that the Olympic champion is “under further medical evaluation”. and an x-ray will be taken to assess the knee injury.”

Drop

The accident happened in a bend on the descent of Cote de Vivero, when the movement of the Bora-hansgrohe driver knocked three cyclists to the ground, and Spain’s Mas had the worst consequences.

Víctor Hugo Peña, commentator for ESPNrevealed a conversation with Colombian cyclist Egan Bernal about what happened in the accident.

“We talk to Egan off camera. He told me that the runner from Bora had a big curve and it came out, on the right side Mas, Carapaz and James Shaw (EF) were there and they were kicked out by the one from Bora. It was a fortuitous situation.”

Carapaz managed to cross the finish line, although he lost 15 minutes and 26 seconds in the general classification, which leaves him out of the fight for the yellow shirt; however, the first thing will be to have a a medical opinion for the team to decide whether or not to continue with the competition, but with other goals. (D)