’I’m Sorry for Him”: Brutal Injury Forcing Tour de France Contendor to Withdraw Leaves Cycling Community Shattered

The Tour de France began on a bitter note for Team EF Education-EasyPost and their fans. The team’s top contender Richard Carapaz, known for his incredible speed, suffered a brutal injury that forced him to withdraw from the Stage 2 of the race. Fans who had turned out in droves to support Carapaz were left devastated.

Carapaz sustained an injury to both his knees when the champion, and Movistar’s Enric Mas crashed into each other at a particularly treacherous bent. The duo took a fall at the Alto del Vivero’s descent just 23 kilometers away from the finish line in Bilbao.

Carapaz’s Crash Sends Shockwaves through Cycling Community

Mas injured his shoulder in the crash and was forced to give up. Carapaz, on the other hand, got back on a new bike after collecting himself and continued the race. Fans watched in awe as Carapaz fought through his pain to complete the stage.

It was an astonishing display of resilience from Carapaz. He continued to pedal towards the finish line despite bleeding from both his knees. When he arrived near the finish, the fans started to chant his name, egging him on. The winner of the stage was Adam Yates from the UAE Team Emirates. The Ecuadorian cyclist came in 15 minutes and 24 seconds behind Yates.

The tweet reassured the fans that the injury was minor and that Carapaz would soon make a quick recovery. Following this announcement, his fans have flooded the comment section with messages of support and well wishes for a speedy recovery.

An Outpouring of Support for Carapaz After Tour de France Crash

Both Mas and Carapaz were carrying the hopes of their respective teams on their shoulders. While Mas’ fans were clearly disappointed, Carapaz made a mark by his determination. One fan expressed her sympathy, saying, “I’m sorry for him,” while another could not hide his admiration for the ace cyclist and wrote, “And yet he made it to the end of the stage”. One person remarked, “That sucks! Get well soon,” and another wrote expectantly, “Hopefully we see you again in the vuelta!!”. One viewer seemed to summarize the feelings of all when she wrote, “Sh*t…such sad news. Really hoped he could do some good for EF!”

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Carapaz was the winner of the Giro in 2019 and, since then, has been able to claim a place on the podium in all subsequent Grand Tours. Fans were expecting his winning streak to continue, but his unfortunate crash has dashed those hopes.

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