Richard Carapaz, the reigningTour de Franceking of the mountains, will miss this year’s race after developing a gastrointestinal infection training at home in Ecuador.
“Last week, he began experiencing abdominal pain and a high fever,” his EF team said on their website. “[Doctors] have advised against long-haul travel and competition at this time. As a result, Richard will not take part in this year’s Tour de France.”
Carapaz finished third in the Giro d’Italia this month and would have led the EF ProCyclingteam on the Tour, which starts on 5 July.
“We’re all gutted for Richard,” said Jonathan Vaughters, the EF chief executive. “He came out of the Giro with amazing form. He sacrificed a lot to get to that level, so the timing really couldn’t be worse. We know how much the Tour means to him, so to lose him this close to the race is a real blow.”
Carapaz, the2020 Olympic championand 2019 Giro winner, won the climbing and combativity prizes in last year’s Tour de France.
The team said the 32-year-old “will take a few weeks off to let his body fully recover” and then shift his focus to the least prestigious of the Grand Tours starting on 23 August. “His goal? Win the Vuelta a España,” said the team.