EF Education-Cannondale: Inside story of the new cycling team ready to take 2024 by storm

EF Education-Cannondale is the new kid on the block – and they’re ready to take the 2024 cycling season by storm.

BikeTips spoke to riders signed up for the new cycling team to get the inside track on the team’s formation and its prospects for the upcoming season.

The collapsed Soudal-Visma merger: What went wrong, and what happens now?

The cycling world was sent into a frenzy last month as rumors swirled of a mega-merger between two of the sport’s top teams, Jumbo-Visma and Soudal Quick-Step.

That all came tumbling down in the last week, and the merger between the two teams has reportedly been called off.

Controversial Rumors of Jumbo-Visma Soudal-QuickStep Merger Rock Cycling

The renowned cycling website WielerFlits dropped a bombshell on Sunday evening with a breaking report that Soudal-QuickStep is working on a merger deal with Jumbo-Visma to create a new cycling superteam.

Talks between the teams have been ongoing since mid-July, with Jumbo-Visma and Soudal-QuickStep being combined for the start of the 2024 season under the name Soudal-Visma or Visma-Soudal.

The Jumbo-Visma Juggernaut: Secrets Behind The 2023 Clean Sweep

Jumbo-Visma managed to win all three Grand Tours in the same year, with three different riders claiming victory in the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España. Not even the dominant Team Sky achieved such a feat back in their heyday.

So, what exactly drives their consistent success?

Sepp Kuss: America’s New Cycling Idol

It’s been a full ten years, but America can finally celebrate having a Grand Tour champion once more.

This past Sunday, Sepp Kuss clinched victory at the Vuelta a España, earning the honor of being the first American to win such a prestigious cycling race since Chris Horner’s win in 2013.

Power and Influence at the Tour de France: Meet the Key Directeurs Sportifs

The directeur sportif (sports director) of each team essentially runs the show on the sporting side of things. Analogous to the head coach in football, the directeur sportif provides insight into the current situation of the race, following the team in a car.

They also provide the team with the proper tactics they should use in each case, often updating these as such during a stage, reflecting the current situation of the race.