Former Olympic champ Carapaz withdraws from cycling worlds for family reasons

ZURICH, Switzerland — Former Olympic champion Richard Carapaz of Ecuador has withdrawn from the cycling world championship road race because of an urgent family issue.

Carapaz, who was the best climber at this year's Tour de France, said in a statement Monday that he was traveling home to Ecuador to be with his daughter who underwent emergency surgery.

“Fortunately, the surgery went well. However, she still requires care,” Carapaz said. “Due to this family emergency, I have not been able to train for several days and my condition is not up to what Ecuador deserves, neither physically nor mentally.”

The men's road race will conclude the world championship program on Sunday in the Swiss city of Zurich.

The 31-year-old Carapaz won the road race at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but was not selected to compete at the Paris Games this summer to defend his title.

He is the first Ecuadorian to win a grand tour, the 2019 Giro d’Italia. He has won stages at the Giro, Spanish Vuelta and Tour de France.