Movistar Team confirms on Thursday that Richard Carapaz (Tulcán, Ecuador; 1993) will join their squad in the next few days as trainee for the remainder of the season. The South American talent's debut with Eusebio Unzué's squad will take place at the Tour de l'Ain (France), from 10 to 13 August. Carapaz comes from Navarran development team Lizarte.

Winner of the Pan-American Games road race U23 in 2013 and the Colombian Vuelta al Porvenir in 2015, the rider hailing from the Carchí prefecture, just next to the Colombia border, has shone bright thanks to his climbing abilities and strategic nose during his four-month stay as an amateur in Spain: he finished 2nd in the Memorial Valenciaga, arguably the biggest one-day event in the country, in only his second appearance in Lizarte's pink and black jersey, before going on to win in Lazkao, the Urraki hill climb and also the prestigious Vuelta a Navarra, where he proved himself as the strongest on the ascents.