Richard Carapaz and Alberto Bettiol have pulled out of the Tour de Suisse in a big blow for EF Education-EasyPost after crashing and sustaining injuries on Wednesday's stage 4.
Bettiol was the race leader going into stage 4 and despite his crash not being caught on TV, he was shown on the broadcast with nearly fully ripped-up bib shorts that exposed a lot of road rash and a bandage on his arm.
Carapaz was isolated in the summit finish and finished 22nd after being unable to follow Adam Yates’ (UAE Team Emirates) attack from the GC group, with any injuries not being obvious at first, however, EF later revealed he had suffered a blow to his face.
“Richard Carapaz and Alberto Bettiol will not start stage 5 of the Tour de Suisse due to injuries sustained in a crash on stage 4,” read a post on social media from EF.
“Alberto suffered from road rash and bruising and Richard suffered a face injury, which required sutures. Both riders will prioritize rest and recovery. Wishing them a speedy recovery.”
An update on Carapaz’s website revealed that it was Bettiol who came down first in a right-hand bend and he was unable to avoid it, suffering a “strong impact to his mouth with Bettiol's bicycle, which caused a serious internal injury”.
The update went on to state that Carapaz required five stitches for one of the three cuts in his mouth, alongside swelling to that area and his nose, prompting EF to pull him out of the Tour de Suisse.
Carapaz had been sat healthily 19 seconds down on the lead of his teammate heading into stage 4, with the GC battle ready to begin up the Gotthard Pass. Despite continuing after the bloody incident, the crash affected him, with the Olympic Champion way off his best on the 8.1km climb.
The Ecuadorian is due to lead EF’s GC hopes at the Tour de France later this month after the disappointment of 2023 during his first season on the team, where a crash on stage 1 saw him depart the race with a knee injury. Despite yesterday's crash, he was still hopeful for his bigger goal in France.
“It doesn't make much sense to continue racing, the injuries and inflammation make it difficult for me to eat well. Now I only think about recovering,” said Carapaz in the same update.
“The goal remains the Tour de France and we will continue working towards it. I will probably have to spend 2 or 3 days without touching the bike, but then I hope to be able to train normally to arrive in Florence in the best possible condition.”
Bettiol and Carapaz will now both have just over two weeks to rest up, recover and try to find their best form before leading the men in pink at the Tour. The Ecuadorian will head to Andorra to train until the start of the race on June 29.
