Richard Carapaz leads EF Education-EasyPost at Vuelta a Espana in search of overall win

EF Education-EasyPost is frequently the last team to announce their lineup for the Grand Tours, but not this time around. The American team have put out their '8' for the final three-week race of the season and at the lead is Richard Carapaz who will be chasing more success after a great Tour de France.

Carapaz wore the yellow jersey at the Tour de France, a big career goal, and after falling out of GC contention he returned to his best form to take a stage win in the final week and conquer the overall classification. The Ecuadorian is aiming for the overall classification in a climber-focused route: "The aim for me is clear: This year we want to go for the GC win and get the best possible result for the team," he said in a press release.

The GC will be a different challenge and require a different kind of lineup. Notably, there is the absence of Hugh Carthy and Esteban Chaves who were expected to make a return to the race they have both finished on the podium on in the past. Carapaz has done the same. Jefferson Alexander Cepeda and Rigoberto Urán will be key men to support him in the mountains, but stage wins will likely remain the main goal for the team.

Rui Costa, James Shaw, Darren Rafferty and Harry Sweeny will focus on the many hilly stages whilst Owain Doull may focus on the sprints or possibly be a key rider in the support of Carapaz for the flat stages.

EF Education-EasyPost for Vuelta a España 2024:

Jefferson Alexander Cepeda
Rui Costa
Owain Doull
Richard Carapaz
Harry Sweeny
Rigoberto Urán
James Shaw
Darren Rafferty