Ecuador Selects Narváez Over Defending Champion Carapaz for Paris Olympics

Richard Carapaz will not be afforded the opportunity to defend his Olympic gold medal in Paris. Ecuador announced Monday that they're giving their lone Olympic road race slot to INEOS Grenadiers' all-rounder Jhonatan Narváez instead of EF Education-EasyPost's Carapaz, who is the reigning gold medalist in the road race. The small South American country qualified for just one spot in each the road race and the time trial, and there has been much grumbling over the last few weeks and months over who the country would send to Paris. The rumors reached a fever pitch over the last few weeks after Narváez's strong showing in the Giro d'Italia, where he won the opening stage and finished in the top five in three other stages.