Aussie-based cycling team Mitchelton-Scott will this year for the first time in the squad’s 8-year history ride the Tour de France without a single Australian rider in the mix. This after team owner Gerry Ryan terminated a mystery Spanish take-over deal by powering through a right contractual mess in order to preserve the franchise’s Australian roots.
Notable Australian exclusions left out of Thursday night’s selections announcement include Damien Howson and Luke Durbridge – with last-mentioned being a particularly surprising non-pick especially since he has raced in every Tour de France since 2014.
Those who did end up making it into the squad, though not Aussies, include South African 2019 stage-winner Daryl Impey, and top-four finishers Esteban Chaves and Adam Yates. The eight-man team is considered to also include a band of opportunists. Not that this particular make-up seems to in any way bother team director Matt White, who during Thursday night’s proceedings made no secret of his intention to this year secure stage wins instead of overall honours, per se.
What may very well have contributed to the leaving-out of Durbridge and Howson, is that of a full-year world cycling season suddenly now crammed into three months. With turnaround times between events now shorter than ever before, it’s become impossible to successfully spread the talent.
But, said a seemingly confident White, the chosen team is focused and ready to take on everything that this year’s Grand Tour decides to throw their way. White says he’s counting on a year that will trump last year’s four stage wins. With or without his Aussies.
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