EF Education–EasyPost

EF Education–EasyPost(UCI Code:EFE), is an American professionalcycling team. Founded in 2003, they have competed in theUCI World Toursince 2009. Headquartered inBoulder, Colorado, United States, the team maintains an equipment and training facility inGirona,Catalonia, Spain. In 2018,EF Education First, an international education company — founded in Sweden but headquartered and incorporated in Switzerland — purchased a controllingequity stakein Slipstream Sports, the sports management company behind the team.The founder and CEO is AmericanJonathan Vaughtersand the headsporting directoris BritonCharly Wegelius.
Between 2008 and 2021, the team won 36Grand Tourstages and 37 national road race and time trial championships.
EF Education–EasyPost is known for its anti-doping stance. The team reviewsblood levelsbefore signing riders, and maintains an internal testing system. Before 2015, no rider had tested positive during or after his tenure at the team. AmericanTom Danielsontested positive for synthetic testosterone in August 2015.In October 2016, he accepted a four-year suspension for unintentionally consumingdehydroepiandrosterone.Riders who competed with banned substances in the late-1990s to early-2000s are eligible to ride after their confession and ban.
Vaughters founded the team for 2003 as a junior development squad. Its sponsor was5280magazine inDenver. The following yearTIAA–CREFbecame 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 chainChipotle Mexican Grill.
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 manufacturerGarminwas announced as the title sponsor, a week prior to the2008 Tour de France.
Their first major Tour was the2008 Giro d'Italia, where they won the Team Time Trial andChristian Vande Veldewore 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 the2009 Tour de FranceBradley Wigginswas a major surprise, finishing fourth overall – later upgraded to third place afterLance Armstrong's results were voided by the UCI – while Vande Velde finished eighth.
In the2009 Vuelta a Españathe sprinterTyler Farrar, the time trial specialistDavid Millarand the CanadianRyder Hesjedaltook stage wins for the team. In 2010Transitions Opticalbecame co-sponsors of the team. Hesjedal was the best rider for the team in the2010 Tour de France, finishing seventh.
On August 28, 2010, Garmin-Transitions announced it was switching working agreements fromFelt Bicyclesto 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. TheCervélo TestTeamfolded and seven riders moved to Garmin–Cervélo, including then world championThor Hushovd.
Ahead of the 2012 season, the team again changed names to Garmin-Barracuda, afterBarracuda Networksjoined the team as a sponsor. Despite giving up the team's second name, Cervélo remained with the team as its official bicycle supplier.In June 2012, theSharp Corporationbecame the second team name sponsor, although Barracuda remained a named member of the organisation.
After months of speculation, Garmin–Sharp andCannondaleannounced on 20 August 2014 that for the 2015 season the two teams would merge. Cannondale became the title sponsor and bike supplier, with Garmin remaining a key team sponsor. Slipstream Sports became the managerial organisation behind the team.
The 2015 season did not match the team's expectations, with only one World Tour win, courtesy of Davide Formolo at 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. In 2021, Japanese construction company Nippo Corporation became a co-title sponsor.
In 2022, American shipping company EasyPost took over as the co-title sponsor, although Nippo remained within the team's organization and continued its sponsorship of theEF Education–Nippo Development Team.
Between the 2009 and the 2018 UCI World Tours, the team finished inside thetop-tenon six occasions. Notable results include: the2009 Vattenfall Cyclassicsand the2010 Vattenfall Cyclassicswith AmericanTyler Farrar, the2010 Tour de Pologne, the2013 Volta a Catalunya, the2013 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and the2014 Giro di Lombardiawith IrishmanDan Martin, the2011 Tour Down Underwith AustralianCameron Meyer, the2011 Paris–Roubaixwith BelgianJohan Vansummeren, the2012 Giro d'Italiawith CanadianRyder Hesjedal, the2014 Critérium du Dauphinéwith AmericanAndrew Talansky, the2019 Tour of Flanderswith ItalianAlberto Bettiol, the2019 Bretagne Classic Ouest–Francewith BelgianSep Vanmarcke, the2020 Critérium du Dauphinéwith ColombianDaniel Martínez, and the2021 Clásica de San Sebastiánwith AmericanNeilson Powless.
Between 2008 and 2021, the team claimed 36Grand Tourstages – 11 in theGiro d'Italia, 9 in theTour de France, and 16 in theVuelta a España. ColombianRigoberto Uránand BritonBradley Wigginsfinished second and third, respectively, in the2017and2009Tours de France. BritonHugh Carthyfinished third at the2020 Vuelta a España. In2010, Garmin–Transitions signed NorwegianThor Hushovd, thereigning UCI Road World Race Champion. In2010, BritonDavid Millarwon the silver medal at theUCI Road World Time Trial Championships.
In2015,2018, and2021, LithuanianRamūnas Navardauskas, CanadianMichael Woods, and DaneMichael Valgrenwon the bronze medal at their respectiveUCI Road World Race Championships. Between 2006 and 2012, the squad was partnered with AmericanChipotle–First Solar Development Teamin theUCI America Tour. Between 2017 and 2019, it had ties to AustralianDrapac Cannondale Holistic Development Teamin theUCI Oceania Tour.
Between 2008 and 2023, the squad won 41 national road race and time trial championships.
When the team entered the Professional Continental ranks they began in the Agency for Cycling Ethicsprogram to eliminatedoping.First, by recruiting admitted dopers before being hired, riders are required to admit any past doping offenses to the team while keeping those revelations from the public, then by what is now conventional means. Participants are tested repeatedly to develop abio-stable marker profile.
Future tests check that these markers have not moved. If they have, it is a sign that the rider is ill or has takenperformance-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.
On 26 August 2017, during theVuelta 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 and raise the US$7 million to continue for the next season under theUCI's requirements for aWorldTourteam, a crowdfunding system was set up and other sponsors sought using the hashtag #SaveArgyle.Raising over half a million dollars from ~4,700 donors was not quite enough to do the trick, however the campaign was an incredibly important stepping off point.
An employee ofEF Education Firstcontacted Vaughters after learning of Slipstream Sports' plight and alerted higherups at the company about the issue. After a failed pitch to EF back in 2014, the efforts of Slipstream this time were much more fruitful. After a decline of EF's 2017 offer of a one-year funding deal, Vaughters was able to convince chairmanPhillip Hultto arrange an asset purchase from the majority owner of Slipstream, effectively rendering the team EF's. On September 7, Vaughters emailed his riders to inform them that their 2018 contracts would now be enforced,and two days later on September 9, 2017, the new sponsor was announced.