The October 2019 issue of Procycling magazine is now on newsstands in the UK and features an in-depth look at the EF Education First team, along with features on Mont Ventoux, Beryl Burton and Lizzie Banks.

The EF Education First team is one of the most eye-catching and newsworthy teams on the World Tour. Starting out as a development team in Colorado, they have grown to the top level, promoting themselves as the original "clean team" at a time when cycling was mired in a doping scandal.

They survived a merger and nearly disappeared at the end of 2017 when EF Education First joined as a sponsor and bought the team, but now, for the first time, they have regained their composure and are taking a long-term view.

EF Education First has never been the sport's most prolific winner. However, looking back at their history, they have won almost every big race in the sport.

Their honors include all the monuments except Milan-San Remo, with Alberto Betiol's win of this year's Ronde van Vlaanderen being the most recent, plus the Giro d'Italia and Rigoberto Uran's second place in the Tour de France in 2017. Included.

However, it is also one of the most progressive in terms of marketing and promotion. Not only do they hire strong riders, but they also employ interesting riders who thrive in the offbeat atmosphere that team manager Jonathan Vaughters has always fostered.

And their latest project seeks to break down the barriers separating the road calendar from other sports by encouraging riders to participate in the so-called "alternative calendar" of off-road, enduro, and gravel racing.

Procycling delves deeper into the world of EF Education First in a special series of features and interviews.

During the Tour de France, we sent Fran Reyes to interview Rigoberto Urán. The Colombian is one of the team's signature riders, and his laid-back, positive approach to life is perfectly in line with the team's philosophy.

Uran explains why he is at peace with the fact that he has finished second in three Grand Tours and why letting go and not worrying about the pressure makes his racing better.

He also interviews team boss Jonathan Vaughters, who talks about the team's history and the peaks and valleys along the way.

Despite the team's humble beginnings and a critical situation that nearly ran out of sponsors at the end of 2017, Vaughters has built a team that is now firmly established in the World Tour. As he said at this summer's 12th Tour, "We are the longest running American Tour de France team."

Vaughters spoke about what has and has not changed within the team since the beginning and explained why they are finally planning for the long term with Education First.

EF Education First has had some big names in its history, but in some ways the rider who best represents the team is Alex Howes.

Howes has been with the team since his junior days, and Vaughters describes him as an important rider: "He's very intelligent, very individualistic, but incredibly selfless."

Howes, hyperthyroid, spoke with Pierre Carey about the difficult 2018 he endured, trying to change the dynamic of the World Tour race and represent the best of America." It would be nice to be someone who carries the American flag and sets one small good example."

The big story this year for EF Education First is its foray into off-road and enduro events. Australian rider Lachlan Morton competed in the GBDuro event, a 2,000 km bikepacking race from Land's End to John O'Groats.

He won, but the bigger victory was the path of discovery and rediscovery Morton took along the way. We've collected images of Morton's spectacular and beautiful riding.

In addition to the EF feature, our sports director Tom Southam has written a diary of the Tour de France: Michael Woods, Tejay Van Garderen, Education First's chief culture officer, Ming Chen, and more.

In addition to EF, the magazine has published a number of other features. She only started cycling five years ago, but this summer she won a stage of the Giro Feminile, arguably the biggest stage race in the world. She told us about the steep learning curve she experienced.

Sam Dungey watched one of the newest and most eye-catching races on the calendar, the Mont Ventoux-Denivelle Challenge, and shared a fascinating eyewitness account. And finally, William Fotheringham, author of a new book on Beryl Burton, looks back on the career of the greatest cyclist in British history in his customary retro feature.

Procycling's October 2019 issue is now on newsstands in the UK and features all of the above, plus in-depth race analysis, statistics, and stunning photography.

Subscribe to Procycling magazine now, starting at just £3.07 per issue.