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Teams & Riders EF Pro Cycling

Page 51 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Yeah, there has been a significant upward trajectory with the team since EF came aboard. Finally having the funds and security to do more than the bare minimum must be nice. And it is showing, especially in the TT department. Andreas Klier, the technical director, was saying that they are able to do a lot of testing material wise and are able to buy good products they couldn't in the time before EF sponsoring.

On another note, he also said that the big goal for the team is not to become the most successful but the most popular team in the world. Guess that is what all that shiny marketing, rapha and gravel thing is all about.
 
Just had a check through the EF roster and they've been put together a seriously good squad. For hilly races Uran, Martinez, Higuita, Carthy, Woods, TJVG plus several good climbing domestiques. And for classics Bettiol, Vanmarke, Clarke, Langeveld, Cort, Keukeleire... I'd say on paper they're one of the strongest teams in the WT, and looks like they're backing it up with wins.

They're a proper 'brand' team as well - I visited the EF Education HQ in the UK, the entire decor of the building is bright pink and everyone who enters is greeted with a huge floor to ceiling picture of Rigoberto Uran, clips of EF wins being played on TV in the background.
 
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Early in the season but it stil feels a bit surreal to look at this after the 2015-2018 struggle:
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8 wins by the middle of February.

For context they reached 8 wins in the four preceding seasons in late June, never, early July and mid August.
In 2018 they didn't even have 8 wins in the whole season.
Just had a check through the EF roster and they've been put together a seriously good squad. For hilly races Uran, Martinez, Higuita, Carthy, Woods, TJVG plus several good climbing domestiques. And for classics Bettiol, Vanmarke, Clarke, Langeveld, Cort, Keukeleire... I'd say on paper they're one of the strongest teams in the WT, and looks like they're backing it up with wins.
This is an interesting opinion, because the core of the team is pretty much the same as it was in 2018, when the team was widely regarded as one of the weakest in WT. Surely both 2018->2019 and 2019->2020 transfer periods brought in some solid reinforcements but nothing groundbreaking on paper, no one of the joining riders had demonstrated WT-leadership deserving results the year before they joinded. The biggest gain is how freakishly good Higuita turned out to be (which had not been widely expected) and of course Bettiol looks like a great deal too after winning Flanders but I bet nobody expected that after his poor 2018 season.

The competition for GT spots will be very interesting this year. I think at least Bettiol, Caicedo, Carthy, Clarke, Cort, Craddock, Guerreiro, Halvorsen, Higuita, Kangert, Keukeleire, Langeveld, Martinez, Powless, Scully, Uran, Van Garderen, Vanmarcke and Woods are kind of riders you would expect to ride a GT but that's 19 riders and there are only 16 spots available for Giro and Tour combined. I guess some good riders will either have to settle for just Vuelta or even have a year without riding a GT alltogether. Interestingly, Vanmarcke only rode 1 GT in the last 3 years so maybe we can expect this trend of top classics riders skipping GTs to continue.
And there are still young and developing riders who could use a GT to learn as well. I'm not talking about Higuita or Martinez there as they're already top riders of the team but more about riders like Whelan, Van den Berg, Villalobos etc.
 
I read in an article that Carthy and van Garderen will focus on the giro, while Higuita, Martinez, Uran and Woods are expecting to ride the tour.

But I agree with you that this team is very versatile with a lot of opportunities during the whole season.

Makes sense.

Carthy was good last year in the Giro and the ITTs should suit van Garderen.

Tour is more about the climbing with MININUM ITT. Like really, bare minimium... so sending the Colombians and Woods should be good.
 
I feel that's a bit heavy on the TdF side (which is not bad if not for the fact that it's a bit light on the Giro side at the same time- I don't consider Van Garderen a GC contender anymore and Carthy is only like 4th or 5th best GC prospect of the team) and I would perhaps send one of the Colombians to the Giro. Maybe Martinez, considering the ITTs.

But I guess this article explains a lot: https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/va...ng-teams-to-stack-rosters-for-tour-de-france/
 
EF will stack the TDF squad for two reasons - One is the punchy parcours suits their riders characteristics and secondly GC is not a focus.
How did you conclude GC is not a focus? I can't even recall when was the last time this team didn't try to race for GC in a GT.

And secondly, how would it even justify stacking the squad for TdF? It's a common sense to weaken your TdF squad by, let's say 5% if it strenghtens the Giro squad by 40%, when your 3rd best guy from TdF roster would still be the best guy in the Giro roster. It optimises your chances for results all throughout the seaon. When you ride for GC you might actually have an argument not to do it because you want the best possible team to support your leader because you never know when support will be needed or when having another guy high in GC might give you interesting tactical options. But when GC is not a focus, then stacking your squad makes even less sense.
 
How did you conclude GC is not a focus? I can't even recall when was the last time this team didn't try to race for GC in a GT.

And secondly, how would it even justify stacking the squad for TdF? It's a common sense to weaken your TdF squad by, let's say 5% if it strenghtens the Giro squad by 40%, when your 3rd best guy from TdF roster would still be the best guy in the Giro roster. It optimises your chances for results all throughout the seaon. When you ride for GC you might actually have an argument not to do it because you want the best possible team to support your leader because you never know when support will be needed or when having another guy high in GC might give you interesting tactical options. But when GC is not a focus, then stacking your squad makes even less sense.

The way the TDF course is structured with two hilltop finishes in the first week, then if you are 'hot', then you will be in the GC battle early on - I have the opposite view about stacking your squad - You want multiple winners in your squad if you are not racing for GC to chase stages, especially seeing EF dont have a top level sprinter - Whereas if you have a bona fide GC contender then you want a solid all-round team with 2 key climbing lieutenants - No point in having 4 climbers in support if they are average - I don't buy the argument about the third best climber in the TDF being the leader at the Giro - You look at EF's indicative list for the TDF which is Uran, Higuita, Martinez, Woods, TVG - Then if you rate these riders for GC you would go Uran, Woods, Martinez, Higuita and TVD -Then if you look at Carthy leading the Giro - I would have Uran in front with Woods equal and then a gap to Martinez and Higuita - So I doubt the third best rider at the TDF will be better than Carthy - In saying that I believe Martinez is the next big GC rider for EF.
 
I'm puzzled by their starting calendar. Not only they're the only WT team not to ride UAE Tour, but they're also the only WT team not to ride either Algarve or Andalusia. So they will ride 2 fewer stage races in late February than any other WT team, despite having more riders under contract than the average of WT.
 
I'm puzzled by their starting calendar. Not only they're the only WT team not to ride UAE Tour, but they're also the only WT team not to ride either Algarve or Andalusia. So they will ride 2 fewer stage races in late February than any other WT team, despite having more riders under contract than the average of WT.
Probably due to this Dirty Kanza nonsense they seem to be pushing hard. Very US focused if you ask me, very much doubt it’ll catch on anywhere else.
 
I'm puzzled by their starting calendar. Not only they're the only WT team not to ride UAE Tour, but they're also the only WT team not to ride either Algarve or Andalusia. So they will ride 2 fewer stage races in late February than any other WT team, despite having more riders under contract than the average of WT.

I think they are having a team camp in Spain at the moment with the whole squad altogether for the first time. Not sure why they are doing it now though.

Previously they only held camps in the US solely for their American based riders and in Europe for their European riders. While the South americans remained at home.
 
I think they are having a team camp in Spain at the moment with the whole squad altogether for the first time. Not sure why they are doing it now though.

Previously they only held camps in the US solely for their American based riders and in Europe for their European riders. While the South americans remained at home.

Mitchelton Scott tomorrow finishes a four day mini camp - It happens.
 

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