Exciting times for Marijn van den Berg! The Dutch sprinter has been picked to join the EF Education-EasyPost squad for the Tour de France. The pink team is also bringing several other impressive names. Among them is Richard Carapaz, a former podium finisher, who's aiming for redemption after last year's letdown when he crashed on the first stage. Carapaz shared his thoughts on his upcoming participation. "I'm back now, after putting in a lot of hard work. My form may be peaking a bit late due to my fall in Switzerland, but I'm ready to give it everything I've got and I'm really excited about it. The Tour is always the Tour. Last year was a setback because I had to leave early. Winning a stage is our goal this time around. I was in good shape before my fall in Switzerland, so I'm counting on that to carry me through. We've got a well-rounded team capable of winning on any type of course."
Van den Berg would agree with that. "This is a dream come true. I watched the Tour as a kid, in the mountains or on a terrace in France. It feels surreal to now be the person I used to dream of getting a water bottle from as a child. There are several stages that suit me, but I will also help the others achieve their goals in return. Now, I can finally answer 'yes' when asked: have you ever ridden the Tour as a cyclist?"
Ben Healy, alongside Bettiol and Powless, will be aiming for stage wins in hilly stages. "This is quite a milestone. I'm good at picking my days and opportunities, so that's what I'll do. I want a challenging finale, which makes the first stage a good opportunity for me. There will definitely be moments of suffering. I’ll choose my moments and conserve energy at other times."
EF Education-EasyPost selection for the 2024 Tour de France
Alberto Bettiol
Marijn van den Berg
Richard Carapaz
Stefan Bissegger
Sean Quinn
Neilson Powless
Rui Costa
Ben Healy