It didn’t work, but it certainly looked good while it lasted. When Richard Carapaz blasted off from the GC group on the second-to-last climb of Velefique on stage 12 of the Vuelta a España, it sparked instant speculation amongst race watchers.

Was this the kind of long-distance move that could see Carapaz make an unexpected but entirely feasible challenge for the overall – similar to the one that had netted him the Giro d’Italia in 2019 whilst the main pre-race contenders simply marked each other? Was it going to force former teammate and race leader Enric Mas to chase him down?

Running more than three minutes down before the mammoth mountain stage, it was not at all certain what Carapaz’s attack could actually achieve, but for a few kilometres, as he quickly gained 30 seconds on the GC group, down at that point to just one support rider for Mas, it looked as if the 2026 Vuelta could have taken yet another unexpected turn.

Finally, it didn’t happen, as the 2026 Tour de France King of the Mountains and Alpe d’Huez stage winner lost momentum and was reeled in. But Carapaz still had enough energy to make ninth on the stage in the same group as Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) and move up to fourth overall. All in all, not such a bad day’s work.

“I knew it was a hard day, but I wanted to attack from a way out to see who responded,” Carapaz told reporters at the Calar Alto summit between swigs of recovery drinks and donning a race jacket for the long descent back to the team bus.

“It was a good move, I wanted to get as much time as possible, because I knew it was a very steady climb with the easy part later on towards the top.”

“It didn’t work out, but I’m very pleased all the same, and we’ll see what happens. Day by day. It was an attack in my style.”

Carapaz said that after being reeled back in, when the attacks by Felix Gall and then Enric Mas materialised on the Calar Alto, rather than try to follow, his best option was to save energy and not risk going too deep. His tactic paid off there, too, as he moved up to fourth overall, albeit at a now more distant 3:53 on Mas.

“It was all about continuing at my pace for as long as possible, and that was it – I got there,” he said. “I know it’s tough to recover each day on a Grand Tour, but I will keep trying in what’s left of this race.”

If Carapaz seems to be racing as if he has nothing to lose, it could be argued that’s because he hasn’t. After winning two stages of the Tour and the King of the Mountains jersey following a very difficult start to the year, the racer from Ecuador has more than fulfilled his targets for 2026.

But as a rider who can’t resist a chance to test the waters and see what will happen, he’s definitely going to try to continue to be a factor in the Vuelta as well, albeit purely for the hell of it.

For unbeatable coverage across road, gravel and tech, subscribe to Cyclingnews. You’ll get comprehensive race coverage of La Vuelta a España, subscriber-exclusive analysis from our expert columnists, in-depth features and industry-leading tech insight. Plus, the Cyclingnews app lets you follow the action wherever you go! Join today.

It didn’t work, but it certainly looked good while it lasted. When Richard Carapaz blasted off from the GC group on the second-to-last climb of Velefique on stage 12 of the Vuelta a España, it sparked instant speculation amongst race watchers.

Was this the kind of long-distance move that could see Carapaz make an unexpected but entirely feasible challenge for the overall – similar to the one that had netted him the Giro d’Italia in 2019 whilst the main pre-race contenders simply marked each other? Was it going to force former teammate and race leader Enric Mas to chase him down?

Running more than three minutes down before the mammoth mountain stage, it was not at all certain what Carapaz’s attack could actually achieve, but for a few kilometres, as he quickly gained 30 seconds on the GC group, down at that point to just one support rider for Mas, it looked as if the 2026 Vuelta could have taken yet another unexpected turn.

Finally, it didn’t happen, as the 2026 Tour de France King of the Mountains and Alpe d’Huez stage winner lost momentum and was reeled in. But Carapaz still had enough energy to make ninth on the stage in the same group as Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) and move up to fourth overall. All in all, not such a bad day’s work.

“I knew it was a hard day, but I wanted to attack from a way out to see who responded,” Carapaz told reporters at the Calar Alto summit between swigs of recovery drinks and donning a race jacket for the long descent back to the team bus.

“It was a good move, I wanted to get as much time as possible, because I knew it was a very steady climb with the easy part later on towards the top.”

“It didn’t work out, but I’m very pleased all the same, and we’ll see what happens. Day by day. It was an attack in my style.”

Carapaz said that after being reeled back in, when the attacks by Felix Gall and then Enric Mas materialised on the Calar Alto, rather than try to follow, his best option was to save energy and not risk going too deep. His tactic paid off there, too, as he moved up to fourth overall, albeit at a now more distant 3:53 on Mas.

“It was all about continuing at my pace for as long as possible, and that was it – I got there,” he said. “I know it’s tough to recover each day on a Grand Tour, but I will keep trying in what’s left of this race.”

If Carapaz seems to be racing as if he has nothing to lose, it could be argued that’s because he hasn’t. After winning two stages of the Tour and the King of the Mountains jersey following a very difficult start to the year, the racer from Ecuador has more than fulfilled his targets for 2026.

But as a rider who can’t resist a chance to test the waters and see what will happen, he’s definitely going to try to continue to be a factor in the Vuelta as well, albeit purely for the hell of it.

For unbeatable coverage across road, gravel and tech, subscribe to Cyclingnews. You’ll get comprehensive race coverage of La Vuelta a España, subscriber-exclusive analysis from our expert columnists, in-depth features and industry-leading tech insight. Plus, the Cyclingnews app lets you follow the action wherever you go! Join today.