2026 Tour de France stage 20: Richard Carapaz claims his second win in three days (Image credit: Getty Images)

It goes without saying that every team that's ever existed, no matter the level or its speciality, has seen riders join and leave its lineup. But it's also true that in the specific case of Richard Carapaz and EF Education-EasyPost, when it was announced last Friday that the Ecuadorian star was quitting the team after four years and heading to NSN for 2027, the significance for the American squad can't be overstated.

Perhaps even more than results, what's made Carapaz so important in terms of the team's public image is his trademark 'nothing to lose, everything to gain' gung-ho attitude when it comes to attacking. These all-out moves have brought some spectacular success; witness his spectacular brace of Alpine wins in the Tour de France this year, as well as the race's mountains classification.…