EF Education-EasyPost splits Tour de France strategy in two: "Richie simply has better chances in the mountains"

Jonathan Vaughters’ squad has been in great form recently. After winning two stages and finishing third overall in the Giro d’Italia, they also took victories leading into the Tour: Powless won in Gippingen, Vincenzo Albanese triumphed in the Tour de Suisse, and Marijn van den Berg claimed a stage in Occitanie. The team also showed attacking flair in the Critérium du Dauphiné, with riders like Ben Healy and Alex Baudin going on the offensive.

In Switzerland, there were plenty of punchy stages, which offered a preview of the first week of the Tour. “My win in Gippingen already gave me a lot of confidence,” said Powless. “I think I nailed my altitude training camp this year. In the past, I often felt a bit tired afterward, but this time I held back a little and focused on staying fresh. That seems to have paid off.”

"Heading into the Tour, I obviously hope to continue that trend," the American continues. "Last year I didn’t do any altitude training, but this time we tried to make the most of three weeks at altitude. At the same time, the goal was also not to overdo it. I didn’t do many efforts and basically just let the altitude do its work. That seems to suit me best."

For a rider like Powless, that more cautious approach takes some getting used to. "I’m someone who enjoys training hard, but it seems I perform best when I stay fresh. When you're at altitude, it adds a certain type of stress on the body. If you then keep training as hard as you would at sea level, you’re ultimately doing yourself a disservice."

Powless is a versatile rider. He’s already won cobbled classics, contended in general classifications, and fought for the polka dot jersey in previous Tours. What kind of rider does he want to be over the next three weeks in France? "I’d describe myself as a punchy stage hunter. I do best on tough, selective routes that end in slightly easier finishes, ideally when things get a bit tactical too."

In the Tour de France, we’re seeing a dichotomy in the route, with a hilly first half and a mountainous finale. Powless is theoretically suited for both. “But I’m mainly focused on that first part. For the second half, we’ve got Richie (Carapaz, who, just like last year, has already said he’s targeting stages and the polka dot jersey, ed.), who simply has better chances than I do in the high mountains. Hopefully I can book a stage win before that.”

For those kinds of stages, the team also has Vincenzo Albanese, who recently won a tougher stage in Switzerland. The Italian only moved to the WorldTour in 2024 after years of racking up top-10s with smaller teams. “That Vincenzo could win straight away in Switzerland wasn’t a huge surprise for us,” says sports director Sebastian Langeveld. “Originally, we were planning to go for Madis Mikhels, but in the end Vincenzo turned out to be the strongest.”

“If you look at the teams he’s raced for and how we operate, this could be a real step up for him,” the Dutchman explains. “His spring campaign was still a bit hit-and-miss not quite what we’d hoped for on both sides. But his build-up to this part of the season went well, and this win proves it.”

“We do things differently with our performance structure compared to his previous team, and that always takes some time,” Langeveld continues. Whether Albanese, like Van den Berg and/or Mikhels, will ride the Tour, Langeveld can’t confirm yet. “If that’s the case, it’ll be announced later. The course could suit him well, but we’ll announce our final selection at a later stage.”

The start of the Tour is likely to be chaotic, Langeveld acknowledges. “The stakes are high, it’s the most important race of the year. As a team, you need to be able to handle that and have a clear plan. The Tour will always be dangerous... unless you start with a mountain time trial on Mont Ventoux on day one.”