Richard Carapaz absence forces complete rethink as EF Education-EasyPost become final team to unveil Giro d’Italia 2026 lineup

EF Education-EasyPost have become the final team to confirm their lineup for the 2026 Giro d’Italia, with the late withdrawal of Richard Carapaz forcing a complete reset in the squad’s approach to the race.

Rather than arriving in Italy built around a Maglia Rosa challenge, EF now head to the Giro with a far more open and aggressive strategy centred around stage hunting, breakaways and individual opportunities across the three weeks.

The team’s eight-man lineup consists of James Shaw, Jefferson Alexander Cepeda, Darren Rafferty, Michael Valgren, Markel Beloki, Samuele Battistella, Madis Mihkels and Jardi van der Lee.

The clearest indication of EF’s tactical shift came from inside the team itself. “We don't have a leader for GC, so we will try different things,” Beloki explained in a press release. “We’ll sprint for Madis and then we will try to win from breakaways. Each rider is going to try on the day he feels good.”

That theme ran throughout the squad announcement. Without Carapaz, there is no longer a single hierarchy around general classification protection. Instead, EF appear ready to embrace the unpredictability of the Giro route and give multiple riders freedom across different stages.

Among the most revealing comments came from Rafferty, who acknowledged how different this year’s Giro dynamic feels compared to previous Grand Tours. “It is weird not having Richie this year,” the Irishman admitted. “The last two grand tours that I've been a part of have both been for GC. This year, I should hopefully have my own chances during the three weeks.”

“I’ll grab the opportunity with both hands and see what I can get out of it," he adds. "We’re each going to get our own chances. I think that will work out well in the end.”

That freedom could make EF one of the most active teams in the race despite the absence of a genuine overall contender.

Shaw echoed similar ambitions as he prepares for another Giro appearance. “We want to win as many stages as possible,” the Brit explained. “Madis can win from a sprint, and then the rest of us are going to try to win from breakways.”

“Trying to win a grand tour stage is the thing that’s been hacking around in the back of my head for my whole career," he concluded. "It would validate all the work that I’ve done in the sport.”

The lineup reveal also comes days after EF unveiled their eye-catching “Ride In Peace” special edition Giro kit created in collaboration with ASSOS. With the team’s usual pink colours banned due to the similarity to the Maglia Rosa jersey, EF instead opted for a neon green and pink design built around an extraterrestrial theme, continuing the team’s annual tradition of using the Giro as a platform for one-off visual identities.

In many ways, the jersey reflects the wider sporting picture around the team entering this year’s race. The original plans built around Carapaz have disappeared, replaced instead by a far more unpredictable and opportunistic approach. Rather than controlling the Giro, EF now look set to attack it from every angle they can