Ecuador’s 2021 Olympic cycling gold medalist Richard Carapaz announced on Monday that he will not compete in next Sunday’s world championship road race because he needs to be with his daughter, who has undergone “emergency surgery.”
Currently live · September 21-29, 3:05pm UTC
2024 UCI Road World Championships
The 31-year-old, who was crowned king of the mountains at this year’s Tour de France, explained on social media that his treatment in Ecuador was going well but that he needed to “remain under observation” due to the health of his daughter.
Carapaz, the 2019 Giro champion, said he had not been able to train as normally in recent days and was not in a physical or mental state to compete.
“Representing Ecuador is one of the most important things for me as an athlete,” he said.
“But we’re all human beings… and the health of my family comes first.”
Carapaz should have been a medal contender in the 273.9km race in Zurich, with athletes tackling a 4,000m climb.