Riders of EF Education-EasyPost find motivation in Ben Healy's Tour de France victory, as they continue to excel at Vuelta a España

In the ongoing Vuelta a España, EF Education-EasyPost is making a significant impact with its young and dynamic squad. The team's approach to the race has significantly changed this year, thanks to the unique formation of breaks in the Vuelta.

Unlike the Tour de France, where breaks take a long time to form due to the intense pressure to get in, the breaks in the Vuelta a España take less time to materialize. This has provided EF Education-EasyPost's riders with ample opportunities to be in the moves and fight for stages.

Most of EF Education-EasyPost's riders in the 2022 Vuelta are 25 or under, including Markel Beloki from Spain and Madis Mihkels from Estonia. Beloki, the youngest rider in the Vuelta, is currently the team's best-placed overall rider.

The added pressure for results doesn't always help in the Vuelta, but EF's young riders seem to thrive under it. Their probabilities of success are higher, as evidenced by Ryan's move on stage 9, which continued a trend of EF Education-EasyPost's young riders being in breaks during the Vuelta.

Sean Quinn, despite being out of racing for much of the season with knee injuries, has been in three breaks so far in the first week of the Vuelta. Other up-and-coming EF riders in the Vuelta include Lukas Nerurkar, Archie Ryan, and Jardi van der Lee. Ryan was part of a five-rider early break on stage 9.

EF Education-EasyPost's sports director Tom Southam has been impressed with the team's performance, particularly the performances of James Shaw and Lukas. He also mentioned Ben Healy's victory in the 2025 Tour de France as an inspiration for the team's younger riders. Healy's racing style, characterized by attacking early and thinking outside the box, is inspiring EF's young riders.

The fight to get in the move on stage 7 of the Vuelta was particularly intense, partly due to the presence of former GC contender Juan Ayuso. The breaks in the Vuelta can gain up to seven minutes with Visma before the GC leader's team decides to chase. This gives EF Education-EasyPost's riders more freedom, as their good performance in the Tour has provided them with a lot more margin for error.

However, the heightened heat on teams to turn things around in the Vuelta a Espana after a disappointing Tour can prove a two-edged weapon, making riders both more prone to making mistakes and less willing to take chances. Despite this, EF Education-EasyPost has been fighting for stages and being in the moves a lot, building on the foundations of what they did in the Tour.

While EF Education-EasyPost has not won any stages in the Vuelta, the pressure on other teams to do so is much higher. The team's focus seems to be on nurturing its young talent and securing stage victories in the future. With such a young and promising squad, it's only a matter of time before EF Education-EasyPost starts reaping the rewards in the Vuelta a España.

Riders of EF Education-EasyPost find motivation in Ben Healy's Tour de France victory, as they continue to excel at Vuelta a España