When Richard Kalapas claimed Monday that it had been "a very strange season," the Ineos Grenadiers rider spoke from personal experience.

Kalapas moved from Movistar to Ineos Grenadiers in January and did one race of the Tour Colombia before enduring almost six months of house arrest in Ecuador and then facing a major season change. finally arriving in Europe in mid-July, Kalapas was able to compete in the first of the season's His goal of a second win at the Giro d'Italia was hastily replaced by a support role at the Tour de France. When Egan Bernal retired with a back injury, Calapaz and his teammates attacked for a stage win, finishing a close second in the mountain competition.

And now Carapas will lead Ineos Grenadiers in the Vuelta a España.

The past two Vueltas have not brought a special smile to Kalapas' face, but neither has he been in serious trouble: the Ecuadorian rider, who finished 36th in his first Vuelta in 2017, finished 18th in his second participation in 2018, and earlier that year at the Giro d'Italia He had already finished fourth overall.

In 2019, Carapaz was supposed to be part of Movistar's top contender trio with Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde, but an accident at the summer criterium prevented him from starting the race.

More than a year later, with Chris Froome's condition still in question, Kalapas finally returned and took over as team leader of the Ineos Grenadiers.

He has said elsewhere that the Giro's long climbs and cooler weather suit him better than the Vuelta's short, punchy climbs and the heat wave of previous years, but a late start may suit Karapas this fall. And the Vuelta awaits him on Sunday with a number of climbs in the Pyrenees, including Tourmalet.

"It's been a strange season for everyone, but I'm motivated and really want to do well. I hope everything goes well and I hope I can compete in this Grand Tour," Carapaz said Monday morning, just 124 hours after the first stage in the hilly Basque country.

"The first week is really important for the outcome of the whole Vuelta, it's going to be a very tense first stage, and it's important for GC. So we have to be focused from the beginning."

"I'm in good shape and very motivated for the Vuelta. It's a very strong team and they are keen to be part of the Vuelta."

Apart from being in good form, local knowledge is also on his side. Movistar is based near Pamplona, and its development team, Risarte, is also located near Pamplona. Carapaz lived in the area as an amateur and has tackled many of the climbs in the early stages of the Vuelta.

Carapas' time-trial and climbing talents have brought him a Grand Tour victory at his third attempt, having toyed with rivals Vincenzo Nibali and Primoz Roglic in the 2019 Giro. This time around, the Ineos Grenadiers lineup includes powerhouses like Andrei Amador and Michal Golas, as well as skilled young climbers like Ivan Sosa and Australian all-rounder Cameron Wolff.

If Chris Froome is on the upswing, Calapaz can support the four-time Tour de France winner in the mountains.

"The Vuelta is an important race for the whole team and we will all work together to take our chances," Karapas said diplomatically. Chris is a great rider and has a lot of experience."

But while Froome's form is still uncertain, perhaps the more important question for Calapaz and the rest of the peloton in the ultra-difficult first week is whether the Vuelta will go full throttle from the start, or whether the riders will opt for a more modest race.

"The first week is very important and everyone knows that the first stage is quite hard," Karapas insisted.

"We will see what each team does, but the important thing is to race smart and remember that every second you can lose in the first week will mean a lot in the end."