The team has a clear vision of where it wants to reach in the coming seasons, and since Rod Ellingworth joined last year, the goal has been to win the Tour de France. That ambition may not be realized this season, but in Dylan Theunce (open in new tab) and Ivan Cortin (open in new tab)a (both with expiring contracts), the team has two very talented riders it is trying to keep around.
The 27-year-old Tuns is arguably the more experienced and more accomplished of the two. He won a stage at last year's Tour de France and has won several week-long stage races. Just recently, he won the Ruta del Sol time trial and finished fifth in GC. His results in one-day races are also impressive, with a third place at Ile Lombardia in 2018 and a podium finish at La Flèche Wallonne in 2017.
Cortina, 24, has a different style, but is seen as an athlete with considerable potential, with a stage win at last year's Tour of California and a string of quality results since entering the World Tour in early 2017.
"At the end of the day, you always want to keep your talent. It's a small world and there's a lot of talk, but we know where we want to go with this team and we have a lot of plans. I know exactly which riders I want to keep on the team," Ellingworth told Cycling News when asked about the future of both riders in the UAE Tour. [With 14 riders out of contract this year, we see this as a great opportunity for us as a team to move in the direction we want to go. In terms of these two riders, they are very talented riders. I don't want to get into details, but they are talented bike riders. Nobody wants to lose talented riders, but at the same time other teams will want them. We can only offer them what is possible for us and they know the vision of this team. At that point, it's up to them, and I'm sure they'd both like to stay."
Cycling News understands that discussions with the Theuns have already begun. Ellingworth was tight-lipped on the subject, but certainly admires the Belgian, who continues to develop into one of the most consistent all-rounders. Last year, for example, he wore yellow as he won a stage at the Criterium du Dauphiné. He eventually finished sixth on GC. In the Tour de France, he took a stage win at La Planche des Belle Fils and then finished 12th overall at the Vuelta a España.
"Dylan is obviously in great shape so far. We're going to talk soon about contracts and the future," Ellingworth said.
Cortina had two top-10 finishes at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana earlier this year, but went down with the bug last week. It is unclear when his next race will be, but Ellingworth expects him to be firing on all cylinders in the coming weeks and months.
"Cortina got sick last week, which is why he missed Andalusia. It was a normal flu symptom, which is a shame because the Classic means a lot to him. We still don't know if he will compete in the opening weekend. We will make a decision tomorrow, but he is back to training. When you miss a little bit of training, you panic more than anything."
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