Mitchelton-SCOTT‘s 2020 squad sees 24 riders return from a strong 2019 season that saw consistent victories from January to October.
A Focus on Winning:
The Australian outfit recorded 35 UCI victories, just three shy of last year’s record-breaking season, in 2019. Of that success, 13 were WorldTour victories and five Grand Tour stage victories, including four on the biggest stage of all, the Tour de France.
In 2020, the focus will be to continue that winning culture, providing exposure all season for sponsors, whilst continuing a specific target to perform in each of the three Grand Tours.
“The number one focus for us is to continue winning,” Head Sport Director Matt White identified.
“After another great year in 2019 with 35 wins we will continue to target races from January to October, including going to each of the three Grand Tours with a focus on performing and winning, and I know we have a roster to do that.”
Consistency in Culture, But Eyes on Future:
Of its 25-rider 2019 squad, 24 riders will return to race in Mitchelton-SCOTT colours in 2020.
Increasing to a squad of 28, four new riders will join the fold next season, including another experienced Grand Tour climber in Andrey Zeits, and three young neo-pros in Australian Kaden Groves, Hungarian Barnabás Peák and Italian Alex Konychev.
“The transition from 2019 to 2020 will be one with minimal changes, amongst the least in our eight-year history, which is sometimes exactly what you want as it ensures some stability,” revealed White.
“At the same time we’ve got some very talented young guys coming in, which you also need. It’s always good to have fresh faces and to be thinking of not just next year or the year after, but long term.
“We’ve brought in three young talents in Kaden, Barnabás and Alex to our Classics and sprint group and a really seasoned campaigner in Andrey Zeits, to bolster our Grand Tours ambitions.
“The important thing is to keep the core group, to continue to look at what you’ll be losing in a year or two’s time and not be caught out by any of these changes. Having that next wave of guys ready to step up is not an easy process and it certainly can take time; you need to be planning for well down the road.”
Mitchelton-SCOTT Men for 2020:
- Edoardo Affini (ITA, 23)
- Michael Albasini (SUI, 38) – retiring June, 2020
- Jack Bauer (NZL, 34)
- Sam Bewley (NZL, 32)
- Brent Bookwalter (USA, 35)
- Esteban Chaves (COL, 29)
- Luke Durbridge (AUS, 28)
- Alex Edmondson (AUS, 25)
- Tsgabu Grmay (ETH, 28)
- Kaden Groves (AUS, 20) – new rider (end of 2019)
- Jack Haig (AUS, 26)
- Lucas Hamilton (AUS, 23)
- Michael Hepburn (AUS, 28)
- Damien Howson (AUS, 27)
- Daryl Impey (RSA, 35)
- Chris Juul-Jensen (DEN, 30)
- Alex Konychev (ITA, 21) – new rider
- Cameron Meyer (AUS, 31)
- Luka Mezgec (SLO, 31)
- Mikel Nieve (SPA, 35)
- Barnabás Peák (HUN, 21) – new rider
- Nick Schultz (AUS, 25)
- Callum Scotson (AUS, 23)
- Dion Smith (NZL, 26)
- Robert Stannard (AUS, 21)
- Adam Yates (GBR, 27)
- Simon Yates (GBR, 27)
- Andrey Zeits (KAZ, 32) – new rider
2020 Mitchelton-SCOTT – Men’s Squad Stats:
- No. of riders: 28
- No. of Australians: 11
- No. of internationals: 17 (3 x NZL, 2 x GBR, 2 x ITA, 1 x COL, 1x ETH, 1 x DEN, 1 x HUN, 1 x KAZ, 1 x RSA, 1 x SLO, 1 x SPA, 1 x SUI, 1 x USA)
- Youngest rider: Kaden Groves (20)
- Oldest rider: Michael Albasini (38) – retiring in June
- Average age: 27.86
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