Richard Carapaz will not compete at the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montréal after withdrawing from Ecuador’s team because of health complications.
The 33-year-old confirmed his decision in a statement on Saturday, explaining that medical advice and discussions with his performance team had led him to prioritise his recovery rather than travel to Canada.
Carapaz had been due to contest the elite men’s road race on Sunday 27 September and would have been one of Ecuador’s main options on a demanding Mount Royal course. He has not disclosed the nature of the current health problem and said he will continue treatment with the intention of returning to training as soon as possible.
“After a detailed evaluation and following the strict medical recommendations and the joint decision with my performance team, it has been determined that the most responsible thing is to prioritise my health and focus on a speedy recovery to avoid greater risks in my career,” Carapaz said.
Photo Credit: GettyCarapaz formally withdraws from Ecuador team
Carapaz said he has already informed the Ecuadorian Cycling Federation by email that he will not be available for Montréal.
Ecuador had originally planned to take a strong elite men’s group to Canada, with Carapaz among the experienced riders expected to handle a World Championships road race containing 3,803 metres of climbing.
The 2026 UCI Road World Championships course includes 12 laps of the Mount Royal circuit in the closing part of the men’s race. The repeated climbing on Camillien-Houde and Côte de la Polytechnique had made Carapaz an obvious rider to watch if he arrived in suitable condition.
He will instead remain focused on his health.
“As a high-performance athlete, my desire has always been to give my best and proudly represent the colours of Ecuador,” he said. “However, after a detailed evaluation and following the strict medical recommendations, the most responsible thing is to prioritise my health.”
Carapaz thanked the Ecuadorian federation for selecting him and wished the rest of the national squad well in Montréal.
No diagnosis has been disclosed
Carapaz referred only to “health complications” in his announcement and provided no further medical diagnosis.
That distinction is important given the interruptions he has already experienced during 2026. There is no indication in his latest statement that the current problem is connected to any previous issue, and Carapaz has not given a timetable for returning to competition.
He said he will continue receiving treatment and hopes to resume training as quickly as possible.
For now, that removes any possibility of competing at a World Championships where he would have arrived with substantial recent racing in his legs.
Photo Credit: GettyWithdrawal comes days after fourth place at the Vuelta
The timing makes the decision particularly notable.
Carapaz completed the Vuelta a España only last weekend, finishing fourth overall after spending much of the final two weeks attacking the riders ahead of him in the general classification.
He finished the race 6:54 behind winner Enric Mas, with Primož Roglič second and Felix Gall third. ProCyclingUK’s Vuelta a España final classification recap covers a race in which Carapaz repeatedly tried to break back into the podium positions.
His fourth place continued an unusually productive season after a disrupted beginning to the year.
Carapaz had also produced one of the most memorable final weeks of the Tour de France, winning twice in the Alps and securing the mountains classification.
The full story of Carapaz’s 2026 Tour included victories at Orcières-Merlette and Alpe d’Huez, the polka-dot jersey and eighth overall in Paris.
That form had made Montréal another logical late-season target.
Montréal course looked well suited to Carapaz
The World Championships road race is not built around one exceptionally long climb, but the accumulated difficulty suits riders who can repeat hard climbing efforts deep into a six-hour race.
The elite men cover 273.7km before finishing on Avenue du Parc.
Most of the climbing comes during the 12 closing laps around Mount Royal, with Camillien-Houde providing the main sustained ascent and Côte de la Polytechnique adding a shorter, steeper test later on each circuit.
Carapaz’s ability to attack repeatedly in long races would have given Ecuador an obvious option once the field began to thin.
His absence instead removes one of the riders capable of turning the final circuits into an aggressive race from distance.
Another World Championships opportunity disappears
Carapaz has already achieved almost every major type of victory available to a stage racer.
He won the Giro d’Italia in 2019, Olympic road race gold in Tokyo and stages across all three Grand Tours. A senior road race rainbow jersey remains one of the most significant prizes missing from his career.
Montréal appeared to offer another realistic opportunity, particularly with a route more selective than many recent World Championships.
That opportunity will now have to wait.
Carapaz made clear in his statement that continuing to compete despite the current problem was not considered worth the potential longer-term consequences.
“I will continue with my treatment to return to training as soon as possible,” he said.
For Ecuador, the immediate task is reshaping its World Championships plans without its most decorated active rider. For Carapaz, the priority is considerably simpler: recover fully before deciding what remains of his 2026 season.
