“It’s time to race” – EF Education-EasyPost confirm Tour de France squad without Richard Carapaz

EF Education-EasyPost have confirmed their eight man lineup for the 2025 Tour de France, with stage hunting the clear objective and no Richard Carapaz due to illness.

In his absence, the team is built around aggressive, opportunistic riders capable of lighting up breakaways. The selected eight are: Harry Sweeny, Neilson Powless, Vincenzo Albanese, Ben Healy, Michael Valgren, Alex Baudin, Kasper Asgreen, and Marijn van den Berg.

The American team arrive in Lille with depth, momentum, and clear intent. Powless, who wore the polka dot jersey in 2023, spoke of how his maturity as a racer could be decisive.

“I feel pretty confident now with the races I've done this year,” Powless said. “I know that even when I don't feel like my very best, because you're always going to go up and down during the Tour de France, I can rely on my racecraft. I've become the type of rider that's quite opportunistic and punchy and strong. I can rely on all of the tools I've been developing over the last eight years as a professional and still find a way to race for the win.”

Kasper Asgreen, who already has a Tour de France stage to his name, highlighted how the team are focused on individual opportunities rather than a GC campaign.

“Winning a stage at the Tour de France is a dream for many bike racers,” he said. “To have been able to achieve that is something that I will be proud of and cherish for the rest of my life.

“I have circled a few stages to go for the breakaway myself, and as a team we have a lot of good options. We have all shown that we are going really, really well and showed strong results lately. I am looking forward to racing with the guys. When you are going for stages, every day is a one-day race. And with our roster, it looks like we have guys who can go for it 100 percent most days, so I think it'll be pretty exciting.”

Ben Healy also returns, having played a visible role in several breakaways during the 2024 edition. This time, he’s targeting more than just airtime.

“I would love to win a stage at the Tour de France,” Healy said. “Last year was my first experience at the Tour and it was just massive. I am really proud of the way we raced last year. We were always part of the action. It’s a shame that we lost Richie in the run up this time, because he was flying at the Giro, but I think the rest of us are ready to step up.

“We will have lots of chances. We’ve got a really balanced team that can go for it almost every day at the Tour. This spring gave me a lot of confidence. I got my best results in the Ardennes and at Strade and had the win in the Basque Country. Since the Dauphiné, I have been working hard up at altitude in Andorra. Now it’s time to race.”