Vuelta: Scully GT Debut with Cannondale

A former British based rider, New Zealands Tom Scully, to make his Grand Tour debut in the Vuelta for Cannondale Drapac

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Vuelta: Scully GT Debut with Cannondale

Cannondale-Drapac takes a rookie team to the 2017 Vuelta a España. With four riders making their Grand Tour debut and another starting his first Vuelta, there are plenty of new experiences on offer for the squad in Spain (and France and Andorra). The team clad in green will be led by Basque sport director Juanma Garate in cooperation with Tom Southam.

The 2017 Vuelta a España starts with a 13.9-kilometer team time trial in Nîmes, France on Saturday, August 19. “The Vuelta this year has a team time trial, one individual time trial, four stages that will most likely end in a bunch sprint, six hilly stages and nine uphill finals,” said Garate. “The design of this year’s Vuelta opens a lot of possibilities for aggressive teams and riders.”

With no GC contender in the line-up, Cannondale-Drapac will capitalize on its squad’s motivation to animate in pursuit of stage wins. “The average age in our team is 27 years. It’s probably not the youngest team at the start, but I think we do bring the team with the most rookies,” said Garate. “Not only do we have four riders racing their first Grand Tour, but we have another two riders who have only ever done one Grand Tour in their careers.

“We want to continue with the attitude that we showed as a team during this season, specifically in the Giro and the Tour,” Garate added. “Of course we don’t have high GC ambitions, but we do want to win a stage as we did in the Giro and the Tour de France.”

The Vuelta finishes on September 13th with nine laps at the traditional city criterium in Madrid.

TOM SCULLY (Grand Tour Debut): Garate: We have seen what Tom Scully can do when there is a nervous final. That’s how he won stage four of the Route du Sud. When there is no longer any control in the race, Scully shines. He has a lot of power, and he can make the difference. This is his first Grand Tour, and we are proud to have him on our rookie team.

Tom Scully: When I heard I was going to ride the Vuelta, at first I was excited, then I started to get a bit anxious, but now I am motivated that it’s actually going to happen. Just completing a race of this distance and duration will be valuable for me to grow as a rider. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in helping out the team and take any opportunities that might come up. I can’t wait for this three-week road trip with a great bunch of people: riders, mechanics, soigneurs, sports directors – just the whole Slipstream Sports crew really.

Cannondale-Drapac for the 2017 Vuelta a España:
Brendan Canty (AUS)
Simon Clarke (AUS)
Will Clarke (AUS)
Joe Dombrowski (USA)
Thomas Scully (NZL)
Toms Skujins (LAT)
Tom Van Asbroeck (BEL)
Davide Villella (ITA)
Mike Woods (CAN)

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