Richard Calapaz will make his debut in the pink jersey of EF Education-Easy Post on Sunday at the Ecuadorian Championship Road Race in his hometown of Turcan.
The 29-year-old joined the team this winter after three seasons with the Ineos Grenadiers. Kalapas underwent surgery to remove his tonsils in mid-December and was off the bike for two and a half weeks, but resumed training in early January.
"My body is adapting to the bike again and I am getting back into a routine," Kalapas said of his return to training.
Calapaz will participate in Sunday's road race along with EF teammates Jonathan Caicedo and Jefferson Cepeda. Caicedo and Cepeda will also compete in Friday's individual time trial, but Calapaz will not participate in that event.
Details of Kalapas' remaining 2023 race schedule have yet to be announced, but the Olympic champion has confirmed that the Tour de France will be the focus of his season. He competed in the Tour de France in 2021, finishing third overall.
Meanwhile, organizers of the Trofeo Laigueglia announced last month that Calapaz will participate in the race, which will be held on March 1.
"I am very excited to start the season with the All-Japan Championship," Kalapas said at a press conference in Quito last month (opens in new tab).
"We have a big calendar coming up in Europe, and we have big goals as a team. We are dreaming big."
The 2019 Giro d'Italia winner nearly repeated the feat in last year's race, losing the maglia rosa to Jai Hindley on the final day in Fedaia. In the Vuelta a EspaƱa, he completed a hat trick of mountain stages and took the mountains prize.
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