ALL IN FROM FAULKNER + HEALY | RaceTV | Strade Bianche | Kristen Faulkner Ben Healy | EF Pro Cycling

Welcome to Tuscany, home to great roads, great food, and great bike racing. Join EF Education-EasyPost and EF Education-Cannondale for a deep dive into what it takes to race Strade Bianche. This SUPER EPISODE features previously never before seen content from recon to race day.

0:00 EF Education-EasyPost Pre-Race Hair Salon
1:24 Course Recon
9:12 Team Presentation
11:00 Magdeleine Vallieres Room Review
13:09 Race Day

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About EF Pro Cycling
We’re pro athletes, cultural enthusiasts, and world travelers with a hunger for adventure. We’re in search of new perspectives, on our bikes and off. Our EF Education-EasyPost and EF Education-Cannondale squads consist of 46 riders and 21 nationalities. Explore the world with us.

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Maybe we try to fade it a little bit or not too short too high you know I had a nice mullet and then when I arrived home my wife told me I should get in the shower and she got it dried off so not so successful so this guy Stefano that

Is first a friend of mine and a friend of my family he lives where uh where I used to live in Tusan in Castel fantino and uh his job is of course a lifestylist this one is going to be yeah much better do you like the Mallet I uh no

Not really but I have to try I was in Australia and I need to try for us is important because he part of the service team that will help us during stran and during the gravel races in Italy make how many seven six seven style from all

My teammates except Ben that I mean probably I would talk with Ben and say Ben look maybe you have to also cut a little bit your head for the aerodynamic but yeah he decided he didn’t H but the rest of us I think we are really happy and we’re lucky to have

A a person like stepan in our team the fastest and best hair cod in if feel fast go fast right at race tv it’ss good it’s okay yeah okay thank you one 3 2 1 the name of this race and why and how to see it Str bian and it means white

Roads can’t say Strada cuz it’s one road Strate bian and yeah white roads and um before I used to pronounce it Strada biani but laia help me theia let it how did she do yeah she learned quite quickly I’m impressed yeah yeah at least if she wins she can do a proper

Interview and tell the correct name of the race yeah yeah yeah that would be good she will thank me after they finish lying probably going to look at where how the bends where some good moments are to move up just take mental notes of how long it’s going to take to

Get from one climb to the next see how much recovery time you’re going to get so that you can kind of decide how hard or how close to the Limit you can go over the top of each climb I think it’s quite a really interesting race really

Special um I done similar races with gravel and stuff so it’s not the first time on gravel but yeah this is supposed to be a really iconic race the under 23 one won it wrong got to take it all in I’m uh checking the course checking where we are so I

Can analyze it later I took my notes already then I’m like doubling the uh GPS data just to be Sure to begin the rest is still un Written I think everybody has benefits from it from um see in the course understanding how to how to enter certain sectors to to test the equipment the tire pressure because that’s for everybody is uh is different and uh the sensations needs to need to be uh correct as well for

Them hey no that’s M that’s how I felt too yeah I had three in it we haven’t even started ride yet so there’s not many left for others so I’m trying not to have anym yeah try to sound a little more g a little more g d aquaa BGA like butter you know like ghee oh yeah Bia Aqua the real Str bian Bon not I so proud of you you are learning fast I’m using the EF education learning app um so this year they changed uh two different section on the women’s side so the section before the 9 and 1 12K one so I

Think it’s sector 4 they made longer um and I think that will change the race a little bit actually that a bigger group can come back now and then the next sector we’re headed towards right now they took a lot of Road section out and normally that’s where a break would have

Gone um so I think also there’s not time to come back like there was last year or the last additions so it will be exciting a new a new course in the final the gravel I think yeah I I didn’t really know what to expect but actually

I’m really enjoying it it’s a lot of fun and the wind are you enjoying that too not so much I thought actually we leave the the wind behind us in Belgium but now we still have wind in Italy I like coming to Italy as a staff because

There’s really good food I lived in Italy when I was a rider so it’s always nice for me to come back um a little bit of home I guess you could say um I spent a lot of years here especially in Tuscany so it’s nice to come back and

And race it’s a little bit chaotic and crazy which I also like little cyc cross today yeah H if he too much steep I think this is faster what’s your favorite thing about dsing oh being bossy uh carman’s a very competent and I’d almost say Old School director um she’s very

Informative to the Riders doesn’t get overly emotional knows when to push um knows when when to sort of back off very aware of all the details of exactly where the course turns here where I mean I was I was incredibly impressed no but I am really bossy person so it’s fitting

The best thing I love about dsing it would be working with the writers I love to give them my energy I’d love to help them become better and then i’ love to be at races really love to be at races you sure you don’t want mix you don’t want

Mix have mix you don’t want mix you don’t want mix you don’t want mix you want me to give you mix Megs megsss come on no Amy push push push push bing bing bang mix mix mix mix mix mixx mix mix Max mix Max mix you we do a

Little sticky I’ll launch my attack okay Inano Faita I’m really excited yeah it was a nice Recon here even if you go slow it’s always hard it’s such a cool course I really love it so many climbs and it’s even harder than in the past year so it will be a brutal race um I love the

Gravel I love how like it’s technical uh and I like the Steep climbs I mean it’s like a love that you know like it’s a bit of weird love cuz then you’re hurting but it’s it’s good I like it there was a road today called donkey donk Road can I stand under your umbrella can this is how I build my luck got to eat your lucky egg day before the race actually true story uh before I won binda I had a boiled egg and uh I dared everyone to break it in their hands no one could break it it’s

Actually pretty hard to break a boiled egg turns out I was the one that broke it egg everywhere then won the race simple was that Time need the lucky egg cheers one go this is the fastest I’ve ever seen 17 2K race relapse volcano circuit hopefully I can win the first uh race of the Season we 16 St there W you did it oh my gosh you did incredible win your biggest win since blunders thank

You how does it feel feel great thank you to my friend to my teammates to my family this is for them from the heart for the support crossing the threshold of the gates of villa sabini you find yourself in front of the beauty of an ancient historical residence of the 15th

Century 15th century that’s pretty impressive surrounded by an Italian Garden with secular trees where just walking makes you breathe the air and the charm of the past don’t delay the experience of an unforgettable stay come and make yourself at home we made oursel at home we have St and we have an

Elevator that goes only up that doesn’t go down but it doesn’t really make sense because technically if it goes up it goes down this is like next level because isn’t it cool you know when you come back from like a hard ride or like a Recon like the strata Recon you can

Just lay here for a little bit but it’s a bit it’s a bit squeaky we we have this uh beautiful room with like a lot of uh light options and the most important one are you ready for it I’m rooming with latia which is actually great because she told

Me that this is Florance and the floor is nice cuz it’s like clean you know it’s a clean floor it cleans quite well we have a fridge and a fridge in a hotel is always a must it’s a bit empty see at the moment we have oh it’s a unflavored

One I don’t know if you heard the story of Kristen and her ate rice cakes she ate ate rice cake before the race before she won so now we’re all on rice cakes diet the bed is actually really comfy and I give extra PRS because they gave

Two pillows when they give two pillows then you know it’s a good place we have a rain shower it’s very nice ceiling actually it’s quite High 4.5 five out of five stars Do Not Disturb so Bye they say um gravel racing is a future what are your thoughts on that gravel racing is the now gravel life I don’t know we’ll get a little taste of it today so I’ll let you know after the race word for gravel in Italian for gravel yeah Stato why are the roads so

Bad here there’s gravel all over them they are not bad they are unique they are different and different is beautiful good morning 8:11 in the morning not quite a morning person but I’m trying we’ve got Usher on full blast shirts are coming off don’t think it’s for me right now

But we’re going to work with it smooth notes smooth Jes smooth smooth tape smooth add good quote here so little things you do to get ready for a bike race it’s like radio I made like a different radio pocket back here then pinning numbers and then Aros

Socks tined spray and then earpiece and the tape on the earpiece and and then the shaming cream and then all the ride food cut tops off the ride foods like feel like in the summertime at home you get ready for a ride in like 2 minutes

But on the bus it takes at least like 25 30 minutes to get ready for a bike race in Spring at least like getting ready for high school dance or something but does everyone get to pick their own earpiece for the radio so we have two options the little then

The slightly more advanced over here H thing from I think it’s from bang and olon other than that so what what does it sound like when you get barked orders over the gravel is going to be quite wet and maybe we’ll see in the first sector but

I think it’s going to be pretty muddy so it’s make it more hectic but I think that’s more exciting so a boat I think it’s also going to hurt like a lot but it’s going to be great battle for position into the sectors is going to

Be more crucial in the women’s race than it will be in the men’s race um staying out of the crashes out of the way up front is also going to be more crucial since it’s a shorter distance so it’s going to be sort of a a more intense

Compact race obviously I think we have a team that can win the race I mean underdogs for sure but if everything goes just right and we can keep Kristen out of trouble then you know starting with 30k to go I think she’s got the legs to to pull it off

2024 also known as the southern most northern classic in Europe saw a star studded field battling for honors over the beautip white roads of Western Tuscany Bo this is that we need Kristen to be like using Zero Energy all day until the fin you guys can doing this okay make

You guys are strong as a unit so Bing yourself for the owners tomorrow like have that fire in their bilding yeah we’re looking forward to an aggressive day of racing we’ve got a few cars to play so um yeah just going to have to be on top of it I feel good this

Feel shall uh feel myself really lucky and uh for this reason I hope we perform well today I think they’re excited from what I could see they’re excited and it is a race to be excited about if you see the the team we have here we’re up

There in three words what’s the plan for today win win win Ben you put your hand up already a few weeks ago and yeah I think you’re ready for it you’re the captain you’re the needo I think yeah Santa Maria is probably still going to be the Crux point of the [Applause] [Applause]

Race yeah no listen tomorrow one team okay to the regiment to the Regiment Ki and Longo borghini shared the lead as po Riders gave Chase but they would never close in on the leading [Applause] pair Christ ful well final of of a heart sh bi yeah it was quite hard the last Loops um there were definitely some attacks on

The gravel sections and it was just so important to be in front the whole day even if you were with a small group because yeah I mean even if it’s 15 people there were attacks off the front attacks the front and with the narrow roads and the gravel it was just hard to

Chase anything if you weren’t position well got into 9 and half gravel section for my teammates and yeah I think overall we raced really well you know um we always want to go for the win I think I’m kind of like a go big or go home

Type of attitude uh so yeah I tried to do that at the end but in the end I’m really happy with my performance and the team’s performance [Applause] today go [Applause] Spe hey good job buddy yeah how was it you left it all out there obviously it was a tough race was it about as hard as you thought it was going to be yeah I think so and uh I tried to play an aggressive race and

They didn’t quite work out and I paid for it in the final but yeah that’s racing are you happy with how it went overall I mean you did everything you could yeah exactly I I did what I could and uh yeah that Up [Applause] bra I mean first and foremost uh the team was really honored I mean they were super honored uh from the first sector and they were they followed the plan and um was super organized also um but then yeah I mean it’s part of cycling isn’t it we started having flat

Tires and uh uh Stupid bike chains of neelson in a very critical moment and from there on ah we were kind of on the back foot started chasing and Richard fell down and Mel fell down now we move on and another another object is terano

Um so I think we had a we had a good day today I think we can be uh proud of our perform performance from from start to finish actually I think the girls road every race they find each other more and more which is is really positive so

They’re taken on the learnings from less than 10 races we’ve already done as a unit I think we’ve still got some stuff to learn um if we don’t waste some energy here and there then obviously that pushes us to maybe maybe a Podium next time um but it’s a positive result

From Kristen but also from our our kids you know noi is still growing into this leader capacity and having latia in the break showed what she’s capable of doing I mean super strong I mean incredibly strong she had to race with the best in the world like she had to go head

To-head with the best in the world and you know proved herself capable of doing that so I mean for me it’s the it’s the best ride I’ve I’ve ever seen out of her honestly so let’s test This oh you see it’s like blinking I think it’s going to work are we going to make it out the live is the question we should be fine 400 kilo should be Fine yeah I don’t know I feel like we’re going to die here you see it’s really I I don’t if imagine your race T be like d we’re stuck here but it doesn’t feel like it’s Moving you see but did we go Down oh we made it good job good job we thought we were going to die but we’re alive