It didn't work, but it certainly looked good while it lasted. When Richard Carapaz blasted off from the GC group on the second-to-last climb of Velefique on stage 12 of the Vuelta a España, it sparked instant speculation amongst race watchers.
Was this the kind of long-distance move that could see Carapaz make an unexpected but entirely feasible challenge for the overall - similar to the one that had netted him the Giro d'Italia in 2019 whilst the main pre-race contenders simply marked each other? Was it going to force former teammate and race leader Enric Mas to chase him down?
