Richard Kalapas attended the 2020 Giro d'Italia route presentation in Milan on Thursday. Kalapas, the defending champion, sat on stage and watched as event organizers unveiled the route that will introduce the third week of brutal mountains, and said he hopes to be at the start line in Budapest on May 9 to defend his title.

"I want to be on the start line for next year's Giro. 'It's a very interesting route with a lot of stages that will offer a lot of surprises. With so many mountains in the final week, the Stelvio could be decisive.

The 103rd Giro d'Italia will begin on May 9 in Budapest and, after a mountainous third week, will close on May 31 in Piazza del Duomo in Milan. The first three stages (Grande Partenza) will take place in Hungary, followed by three stages in Sicily before arriving home on stage 7.

"The first stage, Budapest, will feature an 8.6 km individual time trial, the 14th stage, Conegliano to Valdobbiandene, will be 33.7 km long, and the 21st stage, Milan, will feature a 16.5 km individual time trial.

"Last year there were a lot of time trials, but this year there is a slightly longer time trial before the mountains, which is good for the specialists. But after that there will be a lot of mountain stages. But then there are a lot of mountain stages where climbers can make a difference. [There are five stages over 200 kilometers, including Monte Bondone, Passo dello Stelvio, Colle dell'Aniello, Col d'Isode in France, and the Piacavallo, Madonna di Campiglio, Laghi di Cancano above Bormio, and a mountain finish in Sestriere. There are five.

"It's going to be a very interesting Giro in the early stages. There are some stages near the coast that will probably cause some surprises, and I think it will be an interesting race," Karapas said.

"There are a lot of climbs, including the Stelvio, which I think will be decisive.

Asked if stage 20 to Sestriere is the right stage for him to win, Karapas said, "It's certainly an important stage. We will study the route in detail after I decide if I will ride the Giro."

He added, "I think it will be a good stage for me to win.

In the 2019 edition of the Giro d'Italia, Karapas took the Maria Rosa with a stage win in Courmayeur, and won the overall ahead of Vincenzo Nibali and Primoz Roglic. He said in an RCS Sport press release how much this overall win meant to him.

"The 2019 Giro d'Italia will always be a very important moment in my history as a professional rider and I get excited just thinking about it," Karapas said. I owe a lot to my parents and all the people who helped me become the rider I am today." I will never stop telling kids who start cycling in Ecuador about the importance of pursuing their dreams."

Calapaz will move from Movistar to Team Ineos next year, which also includes defending Tour de France champion Egan Bernal, 2018 Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas, and four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome He joins a strong Grand Tour team.

Team Ineos has not yet announced which riders will compete in each Grand Tour. Froom, who is recovering from a devastating crash at the Criterium du Dauphiné in June, hopes to win his fifth title at the Tour de France next July. Similarly, Bernal is also reportedly aiming to compete in the Tour.

Thomas is reportedly considering competing in the Giro d'Italia in May. Asked what the tactic would be if Thomas and Karapas were to compete in the Italian Grand Tour, Karapas reiterated that Team Ineos had not yet discussed plans for next season's Grand Tour.

"We haven't talked much about these things yet, but I think the best riders have to ride big races like the Giro, Tour, and Vuelta. The teams will decide which stages are good for all of us."