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Teams & Riders EF Pro Cycling

Page 55 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Luis Villalobos is another rider who had a contract for 2021 but PCS just added him to the list of riders leaving after 2020.

Just 14 riders under contract for 2021 and not a single new signing or a contract extension announced this year apart from Bettiol. And we have 30th of August already. What's going on with this team?
 
It's interesting today how, when Martinez crashed, nobody waited for him and not even Bettiol was ordered to wait and help to bring him back to the bunch. After where the riders stood with their form during Dauphine, I thought it made sense to have Martinez as the main leader and Uran and Higuita as free role riders. But after today it seems like it has never been the plan.

I'm disheartened now because I thought that if someone from EF really had a good GC campaign in them, it was Martinez. I don't have much trust in Uran's and Higuita's GC capabilities at this point (regarding 2020 TdF) and plain stage hunting doesn't simply satisfy me. Today was also a good stage to win with Higuita or Bettiol but they didn't seem to have a good plan on how to make it happen. Frankly speaking it might have been the best stage of all 21 stages for the team to take a stage win!

It's also a fricking joke how Martinez ended up to be the first and only GC hope to lose time after almost everyone had crashed yesterday.

I believe even with the loss of time today for Daniel Martinez if he rides like he would for GC I cold see him finish on the GC near or ahead of Uran and Higita. They should have sent one or two riders for him. :(
 
It's interesting today how, when Martinez crashed, nobody waited for him and not even Bettiol was ordered to wait and help to bring him back to the bunch. After where the riders stood with their form during Dauphine, I thought it made sense to have Martinez as the main leader and Uran and Higuita as free role riders. But after today it seems like it has never been the plan.

I'm disheartened now because I thought that if someone from EF really had a good GC campaign in them, it was Martinez. I don't have much trust in Uran's and Higuita's GC capabilities at this point (regarding 2020 TdF) and plain stage hunting doesn't simply satisfy me. Today was also a good stage to win with Higuita or Bettiol but they didn't seem to have a good plan on how to make it happen. Frankly speaking it might have been the best stage of all 21 stages for the team to take a stage win!

It's also a fricking joke how Martinez ended up to be the first and only GC hope to lose time after almost everyone had crashed yesterday.
I hear you. Pulling Uran and Higuita was never in the options. We all knew that the three were going on equal conditions. And they made it public. However, what in the world was Bettiol doing in that group??? did he say in the radio that he felt strong to go for the stage? actually I thought it looked really bad on him or the team because him being in that group made absolutely nothing for him or the team. Nothing.
 
I believe even with the loss of time today for Daniel Martinez if he rides like he would for GC I cold see him finish on the GC near or ahead of Uran and Higita. They should have sent one or two riders for him. :(
They sent one rider. It just took him too long to get to him. Maybe the problem was coaching. Trying to decide at that point who is going back is silly. I see the coach asking for opinions in the radio! Lol. That is a decision that he has to make BEFORE the race just in case it presents during the race. That is part of the planing. Especially not ending Bettiol back. They didn't send back the better roller, but the climber.
 
Curious, also, how Neilson Powless was the first from the peloton to attack on the Col d'Eze. I thought it was a setup move for another EF rider to come through . . . and maybe Martinez would have been that rider (if he hadn't crashed). It wasn't Uran or Higuita.
 
Curious, also, how Neilson Powless was the first from the peloton to attack on the Col d'Eze. I thought it was a setup move for another EF rider to come through . . . and maybe Martinez would have been that rider (if he hadn't crashed). It wasn't Uran or Higuita.
I'm sure EF wanted to ensure the pace was not too slow so that the quick guys would be dropped from the peloton and Higuita had a chance to win the sprint from a reduced bunch. They didn't really believe Powless had a chance to win, they just sent him so that the other teams would chase after him to keep the pace high. It's a good situation because if other teams refused to chase, Powless would be in front and EF didn't have to push with their domestiques but I'm sure they were realistic about him not making it to the finish.

It was too far away from the finish and too big of a peloton for someone like Martinez to attack, he wouldn't stand a chance to do anything. He wouldn't get much leeway as a recent Dauphine winner and he is not a type of rider to power away from such a big bunch.
 
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I'm sure EF wanted to ensure the pace was not too slow so that the quick guys would be dropped from the peloton and Higuita had a chance to win the sprint from a reduced bunch. They didn't really believe Powless had a chance to win, they just sent him so that the other teams would chase after him to keep the pace high. It's a good situation because if other teams refused to chase, Powless would be in front and EF didn't have to push with their domestiques but I'm sure they were realistic about him not making it to the finish.

It was too far away from the finish and too big of a peloton for someone like Martinez to attack, he wouldn't stand a chance to do anything. He wouldn't get much leeway as a recent Dauphine winner and he is not a type of rider to power away from such a big bunch.
This is what they said:

Neilson Powless, rider
“The plan was just to kind of make it hard. I didn’t really think I was going off with too much speed. At first i was thinking maybe I should slow down but then Charly told me to keep going. It was really fun to put in a little dig there and it was unexpected. This first week is just full on. Jumbo-Visma was riding hard and there were attacks from some of the strongest guys in the end today as well. It’s pretty incredible and making for a pretty exciting race.”

Dani Martínez, rider
“I’m feeling really disappointed after today, I fell twice, once at the beginning of the Col de Turini and the other time on the descent closer towards the finish line. The first fall hurt more because it felt a bit harder even though the second one I was going faster, but I just slid out. But the doctor has said that everything is ok, I have a bit of pain in the knee, it’s a little bit swollen, but it’s normal, I’m just hoping that it recovers quickly over the next few days.”

Charly Wegelius, Sport Director
“Unfortunately Dani Martínez fell down twice and the chase cost him quite a bit of energy. Nonetheless, the team did a very good job and Hugh Carthy did an extremely good job of bringing Dani back. Sergio got top five, which is a nice way to start off the tour in such a tough stage.”
 
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I'm getting 2016-ish vibe from the team-collectively strong with a lot of riders in the final selection but without a strong leader who would get the final result. Uran didn't lost time but didn't look like one of the 6-7 strongest riders. I'm still sceptical about his GC. Maybe he'll finish around 10th place.

Carthy confirms it was the right decision to take him as some people doubted he was the right choice after a weaker Dauphine. I hope he'll get into the right breakaway one day.

Higuita not a GC material for TdF yet, apparently. I'm not surprised.

FFS give me some contract confirmations for 2021. :p
 
I'm getting 2016-ish vibe from the team-collectively strong with a lot of riders in the final selection but without a strong leader who would get the final result. Uran didn't lost time but didn't look like one of the 6-7 strongest riders. I'm still sceptical about his GC. Maybe he'll finish around 10th place.

Carthy confirms it was the right decision to take him as some people doubted he was the right choice after a weaker Dauphine. I hope he'll get into the right breakaway one day.

Higuita not a GC material for TdF yet, apparently. I'm not surprised.

FFS give me some contract confirmations for 2021. :p
I still don't get why they didn't bring Woods to the Tour. He isn't riding the Giro either, only Tirreno-Adriatico and then the Ardennes classics (understandable). Bringing him to the Tour would have made a lot of sense.
 
I still don't get why they didn't bring Woods to the Tour. He isn't riding the Giro either, only Tirreno-Adriatico and then the Ardennes classics (understandable). Bringing him to the Tour would have made a lot of sense.
He broke his femur in March. He only finished 29th in the weakest Lombardia field in years, behind riders like Ruben Guerrerio, Lorenzo Rota, Matteo Badliatti, Jaakko Hanninen, Jacopo Mosca and Joey Rosskopf. Even when he had a normal preparation last year, he didn't do anything noteworthy in the Tour. There's no reason to think he would do anything in this year's Tour. It's not a race that suits him and he is not in his best shape. I think he would be about as strong as Powless, which would make him pointless as Powless can do the same but is a better rouleur. Kangert, Clarke and even Ruben Guerreiro would've been of more use than Woods in the Tour this year IMO.
 
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As a consolation prize- the team has moved into the lead in teams classification.

I wonder if they'll allow Bettiol or Keukeleire to chase a stage win tomorrow. To me it looks like either could have an outside chance but maybe I'm overestimating how hard the final kilometers are going to be.
 
Just after a day I had said that EF had been looking good for team classification, they blew up their lead in the classification because a breakaway was not allowed today and Carthy has had the worst day up to date in this year's TdF. Great job by Bettiol who ended up being 3rd best rider of the team on such a difficult stage. He was there on the echelons stage too as well as many times during the 2017 TdF. An excellent domestique.

I'm hoping that Martinez will get better during the rest day and together with Carthy they will be successful in the breakaways of 2nd and 3rd week, either win a stage or at least secure the team classification win. And of course I wish Uran does well in GC.

Still 0 contract confirmations from the team. :(

Uran will be in position to make contract demands again after how well he's riding this Tour.
 
I always like Uran.
He brings a lot. -Experience, heart, strength, consistency, leadership, hope, respect for the race.
In 6th place after today's stage, My wish is to see EF support Uran for a Tour win.
A Tour podium.
Support for their best chance to win.
I also know there are members with ambition for stages.
This is the team I'm rooting for.
 
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Just after a day I had said that EF had been looking good for team classification, they blew up their lead in the classification because a breakaway was not allowed today and Carthy has had the worst day up to date in this year's TdF. Great job by Bettiol who ended up being 3rd best rider of the team on such a difficult stage. He was there on the echelons stage too as well as many times during the 2017 TdF. An excellent domestique.

I'm hoping that Martinez will get better during the rest day and together with Carthy they will be successful in the breakaways of 2nd and 3rd week, either win a stage or at least secure the team classification win. And of course I wish Uran does well in GC.

Still 0 contract confirmations from the team. :(

Uran will be in position to make contract demands again after how well he's riding this Tour.

They may have a hard time with the team classification if it is something Movistar is going after. Movistar's riders are noticeably improving as they are getting racing KMs in their legs.
 
Aren't they reducing the budget? Some big wage guys will leave probably.
Probably they are but so do other teams so it's not that clear the big wage guys will have somewhere else to go to for a big wage. :p My concern is more if EF will exist anymore as a WT team in 2021, it's really late in the year to only have 14 riders confirmed for a WT team and to not have a single one new signing announced. It's funny because they already had 15 at the beginning of the year. :p But then it turned out that Woods is leaving and Villalobos is probably leaving too, despite having contracts for 2021.

They may have a hard time with the team classification if it is something Movistar is going after. Movistar's riders are noticeably improving as they are getting racing KMs in their legs.
This is still the weakest Movistar we've seen in years so I think EF definetely have resources to beat them. But today it all went wrong as either Carthy or Martinez should've finished within 5 minutes of the stage winner IMO. Movistar have the advantage that they don't have to protect someone like Uran because Mas and Valverde have not looked great so far but things might change. If Martinez gets better with his knee after the rest day and a couple of easy stages and Carthy gets as strong as the race progresses as he did during last year's Giro, then I think EF looks better than Movistar in the mountains but that's an if obviously as demonstrated by what happened on stage 9.
 
Probably they are but so do other teams so it's not that clear the big wage guys will have somewhere else to go to for a big wage. :p My concern is more if EF will exist anymore as a WT team in 2021, it's really late in the year to only have 14 riders confirmed for a WT team and to not have a single one new signing announced. It's funny because they already had 15 at the beginning of the year. :p But then it turned out that Woods is leaving and Villalobos is probably leaving too, despite having contracts for 2021.


This is still the weakest Movistar we've seen in years so I think EF definetely have resources to beat them. But today it all went wrong as either Carthy or Martinez should've finished within 5 minutes of the stage winner IMO. Movistar have the advantage that they don't have to protect someone like Uran because Mas and Valverde have not looked great so far but things might change. If Martinez gets better with his knee after the rest day and a couple of easy stages and Carthy gets as strong as the race progresses as he did during last year's Giro, then I think EF looks better than Movistar in the mountains but that's an if obviously as demonstrated by what happened on stage 9.


Except Movistar has the luxury of sending half the team up the road in breaks to go stage hunting if they want to. They need one person for fetching bottles/food. Soler is supposed to be building form for the Giro and has free reign to go stage hunting as obviously does Verona and the others. Valverde has taken it upon himself to be Mas' protector, guide, helper, whatever Mas needs. Both Mas and Valverde's form has improved greatly since the Dauphine. They aren't in top form. Mas is hoping to be in top form for week 3 and Valverde is hoping to be close to that in week 3 for his goals of the Worlds and Vuelta (and maybe LBL). This Tour for Movistar has the feel of la Vuelta 2017 where they sent the team as a bunch of riders who can all go do whatever they want. The difference being Mas/Valverde will get a little protection that no one was granted in that Vuelta. Even when they had riders in the middle of the GC battle they haven't been against sending half the team up the road in search of the team title instead of helping their GC riders. Of course before the Tour started EF had 2 maybe 3 riders they were hoping to keep in the GC hunt, whereas no one really knew what to make of Movistar and the comments from that team. The team it's self said they were going stage hunting. Valverde said they weren't good enough to do anything including stage hunting and Mas said we're fine, we'll be fighting for top 10 in GC. With Verona's 3rd two days ago and his comments, it sounds like most of the team is still under the plan of stage hunting, while Mas/Valverde are under the GC plan. At least EF has an actual plan?


As for only having about half a team signed for the following year at this point. Movistar only had around 15/16 riders signed for 2020 at the end of Sept 2019.
 
I'm not interested in team standing placings. I know it's a thing but it is down on the ladder. It seems more a consolation prize when all else fails... -Not something to strive for.

Expect more. EF could do better than winning that category unless it's in addition too...

But I appreciate some background knowledge regarding the future, which I'm not aware of or thinking about, however, is always relevant.

I thought EF was solvent for more of a long term future.
 
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I'm not interested in team standing placings. I know it's a thing but it is down on the ladder. It seems more a consolation prize when all else fails... -Not something to strive for.

Expect more. EF could do better than winning that category unless it's in addition too...

But I appreciate some background knowledge regarding the future, which I'm not aware of or thinking about, however, is always relevant.

I thought EF was solvent for more of a long term future.

There problem like many is Covid. It's killing EF's revenue. Basically they run a lot of learning abroad programs.
 

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