EF Education-Nippo has completed their 2021 roster with the signing of Simon Carr from NIPPO-DELKO One Provence. The British rider moves across along with Julien El Fares, Hideto Nakane, and Fumiyuki Beppu from the French second division team.
Nippo has also left the French squad and become the second title sponsor for Jonathan Vaughters' eclectic team next year.
Carr, 22, came through the ranks as part of the French amateur team, AVC Aix-en-Provence, and joined NIPPO-DELKO One Provence on a full-time basis in August of 2020. He picked up a number of encouraging results, including a top-twenty result in the Volta a Portugal, and a win in the one-day Prueba Villafranca-Ordiziako Klasika.
He becomes the second British rider on the American team after Hugh Carthy.
“The team appears to be a really fun environment and somewhere ideally suited for me to develop as an athlete and person,” Carr said as part of his introduction on the team’s website.
“I think I will fit in really well with the already multicultural aspect of the team,” he added.
“I first started cycling at a regional school MTB race in 2011 that I did on a fully rigid ex-hire steel bike that was probably older than me. I was practically last in the downhill and trials events, so started at the back for the cross country. However, I discovered I had good climbing legs and went on to finish 3rd. By 2013 I was starting my first full season on the road and I’ve been slowly working my way up ever since."
Along with a sponsor change the team has seen a significant amount of movement when it comes to their roster. Michael Valgren became their main signing for the Spring Classics after leaving NTT Pro Cycling, while Will Barta, Daniel Arroyave, and Diego Andres Camargo were picked up late in the year.
The team has lost several experienced riders ahead of the new season. Michael Woods and Sep Vanmarcke have both departed for Chris Froome’s Israel Start-Up Nation, while Simon Clarke has moved to Team Qhubeka Assos along with Sean Bennett.
Daniel Martinez, who won the Criterium du Dauphine thanks for a thrilling final day in the mountains, has moved to Ineos Grenadiers, while Kristoffer Halvorsen has moved to the Uno-X Pro Cycling Team. Tanel Kangert will ride for GreenEdge next year.
Jonathan Vaughters was able to retain a number of riders on his team, offering all of those out of contract in 2020 new deals despite financial strains on the team's main sponsor. Rigoberto Uran and Tejay Van Garderen were among those that agreed to terms.
