Team EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale (UCI Code: EFD), is an American professional cycling team. Founded in 2003, the squad entered the UCI World Tour in 2009. Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, United States, the team maintains an equipment and training facility in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. Slipstream Sports, a holding company, owns EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale. Cannondale Bicycle Corporation, an American-Canadian bicycle manufacturer, is the title sponsor. Drapac Capital Partners, an Australian-American real estate firm, is the presenting sponsor. The general manager is American Jonathan Vaughters and the directeur sportif is Briton Charly Wegelius.
Between the 2009 and the 2016 UCI World Tours, the team finished inside the top-ten on five occasions. Notable results include: the 2009 Vattenfall Cyclassics and the 2010 Vattenfall Cyclassics with American Tyler Farrar, the 2010 Tour de Pologne, the 2013 Volta a Catalunya, the 2013 Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and the 2014 Giro di Lombardia with Irishman Dan Martin, the 2011 Tour Down Under with Australian Cameron Meyer, the 2011 Paris-Roubaix with Belgian Johan Vansummeren, the 2012 Giro d'Italia with Canadian Ryder Hesjedal, and the 2014 Critérium du Dauphiné with American Andrew Talansky. Between 2008 and 2016, the team claimed twenty Grand Tour stages - seven in the Giro d'Italia, seven in the Tour de France, and six in the Vuelta a España. In 2010, Garmin-Transitions signed Norwegian Thor Hushovd, the reigning UCI World Road Race Champion. In 2010 and 2015, Briton David Millar won the silver medal at the UCI World Time Trial Championships and Lithuanian Ram?nas Navardauskas won the bronze medal at the UCI World Road Race Championships, respectively. Between 2008 and 2016, the squad won twenty-five national road race and time trial championships.
EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale is known for its anti-doping stance. The team reviews blood levels before signing riders, and maintains an internal testing system. Before 2015, no rider had tested positive during or after his tenure at EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale. American Tom Danielson tested positive for synthetic testosterone in August 2015. In October 2016, he accepted a four-year suspension for unintentionally consuming dehydroepiandrosterone. Riders who competed with banned substances in the late-1990s to early-2000s are eligible after their confession and ban.
Video EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
History
Early years
Vaughters founded the team for 2003 as a junior development squad. Its sponsor was 5280 magazine in Denver. The following year TIAA-CREF became sponsor and Vaughters fielded professional and amateur riders. 5280 and TIAA-CREF continued to sponsor Garmin's youth riders in subsequent years, followed by the restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill.
2008-2010
In 2007 Slipstream Sports LLC took the management and the team raced under the name Team Slipstream. In 2008 Chipotle Mexican Grill began to sponsor the team and the team name was changed to Team Slipstream by Chipotle. The name was changed again in June 2008 after the navigation system manufacturer Garmin was announced as the title sponsor, a week prior to the 2008 Tour de France. Their first major Tour was the 2008 Giro d'Italia, where they won the Team Time Trial and Christian Vande Velde wore the pink jersey for one stage. In the Tour de France Vande Velde finished fourth and the team was leading from stage 3 until stage 6. Garmin remained sponsor in 2009 and the team was renamed Garmin-Slipstream. In the 2009 Tour de France Bradley Wiggins was a major surprise, finishing fourth overall - later upgraded to third place after Lance Armstrong's results were voided by the UCI - while Vande Velde finished 8th. In the 2009 Vuelta a España the sprinter Tyler Farrar, the time trial specialist David Millar and the Canadian Ryder Hesjedal took stage wins for the team. In 2010 Transitions Optical became co-sponsors of the team. Hesjedal was the best rider for the team in the 2010 Tour de France, finishing 7th.
2011-2014
On August 28, 2010, Garmin-Transitions announced it was switching working agreements from Felt Bicycles to Cervélo bikes, and that it would change its name to Garmin-Cervélo for the 2011 season. Felt chose not to exercise its option with Garmin-Transitions after a four-year working agreement. The Cervélo TestTeam folded and seven riders moved to Garmin-Cervélo, including then world champion Thor Hushovd. Ahead of the 2012 season, the team again changed names to Garmin-Barracuda, after Barracuda Networks joined the team as a sponsor. Despite giving up the team's second name, Cervélo will remain with the team as its official bicycle supplier. In June 2012, the Sharp Corporation became the second team name sponsor, although Barracuda remained a named member of the organisation.
After months of speculation, Garmin-Sharp and Cannondale announced on 20 August 2014 that for the 2015 season the two teams will merge. Cannondale will become the title sponsor and bike supplier, with Garmin remaining a key team sponsor. Slipstream Sports will become the managerial organisation behind the team.
2015 - Cannondale-Garmin
The 2015 season did not match the team's expectations, with only one World Tour win, courtesy of Davide Formolo as the Giro d'Italia. At the end of the season it was announced that long term team leaders, Dan Martin & Ryder Hesjedal would leave the team for Etixx Quickstep & Trek Factory Racing respectively. Co-title sponsor Garmin also announced they would not continue sponsorship of the team.
Maps EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
Anti-doping program
When the team entered the Professional Continental ranks they began in the Agency for Cycling Ethics program to eliminate doping. First, by recruiting admitted dopers (before being hired riders are required to admit to the team any past doping offenses, while keep those revelations from the public), then by what is now conventional means. Participants are tested repeatedly to develop a bio-stable marker profile. Future tests check these markers have not moved. If they have, the rider is ill or has taken performance-enhancing drugs. If any change has been noted, the rider cannot race until the markers have returned to normal. Riders are interviewed and tested for illness or doping.
2018 season funding issues
On 26 August 2017, during the Vuelta a España, Vaughters announced that a sponsor had backed out of a commitment to provide the team with funding for the following season, and that riders under contract for 2018 were free to seek employment elsewhere. In an effort to allow the team to continue racing in the 2018 season, a crowdfunding system was set up and other sponsors sought, for the team which needed a sum of about $7 million USD to continue for the next season. On September 7 riders were told that their 2018 contracts would be enforced, and two days later the new sponsor, EF Education First, was announced.
Team roster
- As of January 3, 2018.
Major wins
National champions
Team rankings
Notes
References
External links
- Official website
Source of article : Wikipedia
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