After many other WorldTour teams cut the salaries of their riders and staff in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, EF Pro Cycling confirmed to Cycling News that it is negotiating similar contracts with its riders and staff.

The American team has 30 riders and one staff member, including Tour of Flanders winner Alberto Bettiol, 2018 Tour de France runner-up Rigoberto Urán, Tejay Van Garderen, and talented young Colombian Dani Martínez They are negotiating with each other.

"We are talking to each player individually," team boss Jonathan Vaughters said. We are talking to each player individually," team boss Jonathan Vaughters said.

The team's sponsor, Education First, a global education company that offers educational travel, language learning, cultural exchange, and distance learning, has been hit hard by the pandemic, canceling tours and cutting jobs.

As a result of this impact, EF Pro Cycling is considering cutting costs for the 2020 season, with months of racing and sponsorship exposure already lost, and more to come before the Tour de France potentially returns in late summer, scheduled for August 29 to September 20 This would mean that.

"The travel and education industries have been deeply affected by the COVID-19 virus, and as a result we need to implement cost-cutting measures," Vaughters said.

"The conversation was very productive. The riders put the team ahead of their personal interests.

Other top-level teams have made similar moves in recent weeks. Mitchelton Scott, the CCC team, Astana, Lotto Soudal, and Bahrain McLaren have all imposed pay cuts or deferred payments to varying degrees.

The CPA, the sport's professional riders' association, accepts in principle that it may have to cut salaries, but CPA president Gianni Buño has said the union will evaluate cuts on a case-by-case basis.

This week, the UCI confirmed that the CPA and the AIGCP Team Association have signed an agreement allowing the team to "take the necessary steps for its survival in this uncertain situation, while protecting the rights of its riders and staff."