Updated
Updated · Cyclingnews · May 29
EF Education-EasyPost Pulls 2 Riders From Giro With 3 Stages Left
Updated
Updated · Cyclingnews · May 29

EF Education-EasyPost Pulls 2 Riders From Giro With 3 Stages Left

3 articles · Updated · Cyclingnews · May 29
  • Stage 19 began without Michael Valgren and James Shaw after EF Education-EasyPost withdrew both riders before the Giro’s final three stages.
  • EF said the move was meant to protect their health and recovery and keep them fresh for a key summer racing block, with several teammates already sidelined by injury this season.
  • The decision spares them the race’s hardest terrain — Friday’s queen stage with 5,000 metres of climbing, Saturday’s Piancavallo finish and Sunday’s Rome finale.
  • Valgren had already won a stage this week, and Shaw had been working in support, making the non-injury withdrawal unusual and likely to draw scrutiny over leaving so close to Rome.
  • Their next schedules have not been confirmed, but the move could point to Tour de France selection in early July as EF says it will keep racing hard to the finish.
After a two-year recovery and a major win, why was Michael Valgren pulled from the Giro?
What 'summer goals' justify pulling a star rider from a Grand Tour just before the finish?
Is abandoning Grand Tours early the new winning strategy in professional cycling?