Hugh Carthy and Rigoberto Uran will head the EF Education-EasyPost Challenge at the Giro d’Italia, while Richard Carapaz will be the sole team leader for the Tour de France.
Sports director Juan Manuel Garat confirmed Urán and Carthy’s situation in an interview with the Escapada podcast. Both riders will use next week’s Alpine Tour as a final preparation race before the Giro, which kicks off May 6.
“For the Giro d’Italia we will have Rigoberto Uran and Hugh Carthy, and for the Tour de France we will go with Richard to do the best we can,” said Garraty.
“For the Vuelta a España we don’t have a specific leader yet. We always do the first part of the season up to the Tour. Then we see how it goes and plan for the last part of the season.”
Carthy has lined up in the Giro on five previous occasions, finishing ninth last year and eighth in 2021. This season, the Briton finished eighth overall in Tirreno-Adriatico, turning heads at the summit of Sasuteto.
Urán returns to the Giro for the first time since 2016, his first season with Slipstream. He finished seventh overall on that occasion having previously taken podiums in the Giro in 2013 and 2014.
The Colombian is now 36th overall in the Vuelta a Catalunya and 18th in the recent Basque region of Itzulia.
“He’s a very unusual rider,” Garratt said. “He’s very professional, and although he may appear as a fun-loving person, he’s very professional. He takes care of himself. In racing he knows where he is at every moment, and he knows that if he has to go into the Giro, he knows what he’s going for. You don’t have to motivate him any more, because he’ll already do what he can.”
The full EF Education-EasyPost team for the Giro has yet to be announced, but Magnus Cort – absolutely dazzling in the Volta ao Algarve – has long been in the corsa rosa as he seeks to complete his collection of stage wins from all three. Grand Tours.