'We didn’t expect he’d be this good’ – Richard Carapaz lays down marker at Tour Colombia

Richard Carapaz (EF Education-Easypost) celebrates his solo victory on stage 5
Richard Carapaz (EF Education-Easypost) celebrates his solo victory on stage 5 (Image credit: Getty Images)

Tejay van Garderen’s past experiences as a team leader will have taught him plenty about the nuances of his current role as a directeur sportif. The evidence has been in the American’s work this week for EF Education-EasyPost at the Tour Colombia, where Richard Carapaz claimed victory atop the Alto del Vino on stage 5.

The bread and butter of Van Garderen’s new trade is tactical instruction. When Carapaz looked to be offering yellow jersey Rodrigo Contreras (Nu Colombia) a free ride to the top of the Alto del Vino on Saturday, Van Garderen immediately reached for his radio.

Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.