1. Eduardo Sepulveda (Argentina)
2019 team: Movistar Team
One of few Argentinians on the World Tour scene, he’s come a long way from the remoteness of Patagonia to the hectic life of European racing, in many respects. Despite Argentina’s dominance in football, tennis and rugby, amongst others, cycling has never gained the sporting federation’s full attention, until now. It’s kind of fitting that a place that for many years was on the periphery of the country it was in, predominantly Welsh, would produce the sportsman from the periphery of their sporting ambitions. Leaping up the ranks to sign for Movistar for 2018, he is yet to secure a win riding for the blues but his consistent and promising performance with his previous team, the French Bretagne/Fortuneo, securing first places in stage 4 of the Tour de San Luis (2016), the Tour du Doubs (2015) and the Classic Sud Ardeche (2015) – he already has a palmares comparable to riders with several years at World Tour. Movistar know who to sign and it is clear he’s a rider for the long game, his form and winning ways will only improve over the next few years and in 2019 he should be rising to prominence.
2. Oscar Rodriguez (Spain)
2019 team: Euskadi Basque Country – Murias
Winning his maiden Grand Tour stage at the 2018 Vuelta in phenomenal solo style, his win was one of the moments of the year, hurtling away from two talented World Tour riders to take his Pro Continental jersey to the top of the podium. Everybody was amazed, not just at the win, but at the sheer strength and determination of it. His team have formed to harness the power of cycling in the Basque Country and provide the region’s finest talent opportunity to perform at elite level in cycling. Given this opportunity, Oscar rose to it with magnificence and his prospects for 2019 are extraordinary.
3. Richard Carapaz (Ecuador)
2019 team: Movistar
Carapaz stunned and amazed in the 2018 Giro d’Italia, beating some of the world’s best climbers at their own game, silent and stealth-like, he used the element of surprise to perfection, storming through the rain to Ecuador’s first Grand Tour stage win, and finishing the overall race 4th in GC, even earning Lenin Moreno’s (Ecuador’s president) praise. Ecuadorian athletes on the world stage are few and far between but they have a knack for rising to the top in their sports, such as Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia. Despite the unexpected nature of Carapaz’s Giro stage win, his palmares are not to be laughed at so it looks like the surprise was only on us, he’s well aware of what he can do. 2019 will bring more astonishment but the way Carapaz is performing, it won’t be long before we’re not surprised he’s winning.
4.Eduard Prades (Spain)
2019 team: Movistar Team
One of the last races of the professional calendar is the Tour of Turkey, since its move from earlier in the season a few years ago due to political tensions, it has become testing ground for end of season form – ample ground to add more wins to a busy season or a last chance to gain wins to secure a contract for next year. At this year’s race, Eduard Prades was the very meaning of the latter. He didn’t just go and win a stage to renew his Euskadi contract; he went and won the whole thing. The whole race came down to coming 2nd in the final stage, won by Ireland’s Sam Bennett. With the same time as Astana’s Alexey Lutsenko, the final classification came down to stage points, and his 2nd place stole the victory from Lutsenko’s 13th on the stage.
The margin may have been narrow but his performance showed there is no doubt in his ability, as he beat World Tour teams as part of a Pro Continental team. His ability to sustain a good position throughout the stages was impressive and Movistar clearly think so too, as he went from an uncertain future next year to one of the most prized contracts in Spanish, and global, cycling. The future is in his hands.
5. Darwin Atapuma (Colombia)
2019 team: Cofidis
Atapuma’s transfer to a pro continental team from World Tour for 2019 is a surprise but with UAE always scouring the peloton for success to sign, there are lots of changes in the roster for 2019. Despite turning professional in 2009, Atapuma has 4 professional wins and his racing has felt ‘always the bridesmaid’ in the last two seasons, however this does not reflect his constant presence at the narrow end of races and his relentless fighting form. Turning 31 in January 2019, Darwin is by no means in the autumn of his career and the move to Cofidis should help him find his feet and get back to winning ways. Always my outside bet when the race hots up, I’ll be willing him on in 2019.
6. Ion and Gorka Izaguirre (Spain)
2019 team: Astana Pro Team
I know this is two riders but bear with me, both riding for Movistar until 2016, they took separate paths, only to be reunited at Bahrain in 2018 and it looks like the alliance is staying strong into next year. Both hugely capable riders, Astana has been struggling for a competitive GC rider since Vincenzo Nibali and Fabio Aru left the team. The team have created huge opportunities though for Colombia’s Miguel Angel Lopez so the Izaguirre introduction should give Lopez strong support in stage races and they will have more free reign than at Bahrain for some solo wins and when their wins come, they’re pretty big.
It seems Astana will give the brothers more freedom and keep them progressing towards GC glory. As a two pronged attack or as solo artists, the Izaguirres are never far from the action and there’s no doubt this will continue in 2019.
7. Esteban Chaves (Colombia)
2019 team: Mitchelton-Scott
If Esteban’s life were a movie, no one would believe the plot was true and this year the plot continued to thicken. Off to a raving start in the spring, he stormed into action at the Giro d’Italia, securing a fantastic victory at Etna, with his soon to be pink jersey teammate Simon Yates, galloping up the rear (Yates would wear the pink for 13 stages, holding the British, and international, public and fan base in suspense, his losing the jersey on stage 19 felt a bit like being knocked out the World Cup but celebration resumed when he won the Vuelta a Espana outright later in the year). Esteban’s supporters were optimistic this could be his year, after he came agonisingly close to Giro victory in 2016, losing to Vincenzo Nibali on Stage 20 and finishing 3rd in the Vuelta that year. Missing the 2017 Giro due to a recurring knee injury hampering spring training, he received devastating news in the early stages of the 2017 Tour de France, which understandably knocked the wind out of his sails for the Tour and the Vuelta. Following his wonderful stage win in the 2018 Giro, he began to suffer, quickly losing strength and time in the GC. Illness worsened and continued to plague him throughout the race, but he didn’t abandon and finished in Rome with utmost respect at his spirit and resilience. Illness undiagnosed, training was affected through the summer and in August diagnosis of Mononucleosis and sinusitis ruled him out of the Vuelta. In reference to his Australian team who continue to have faith in him, Esteban is like a boomerang, you know he’s always going to come back and with careful training and rest before next season, myself and the cycling community will look forward to the return of his infectious smile and contagious optimism.
8. Omar Fraile (Spain)
2019 team: Astana
A talent that has grown and grown over the past few seasons, his potential recognised last season as he rose from promising spark at Caja Rural to World Tour outfit Team Dimension Data. Previously animated and exciting at the Vuelta, his first Grand Tour win came on stage 11 of the Giro d’Italia and this year, at Astana he confirmed his ability on cycling’s biggest stage, winning stage 14 of the Tour de France. Having labelled him as a future talent four years ago, I was particularly impressed with his stage win, as were pundits and fans alike. When the road soars upwards, Fraile’s your man and with a stellar win under his belt this year, Astana will have plenty of faith in him to give him opportunity to stretch his legs in 2019. Year on year he keeps getting better so 2019 promises to be his best year yet.
9. Maximiliano Richeze (Argentina)
2019 team: Deceuninck-QuickStep
Showing remarkable speed and tactics as Gaviria’s lead out man in the last few seasons, it looks like he will be separated from his sprinter in 2019 as Gaviria moves to UAE and he remains at Quickstep. However, he brought his show stopping speed to centre stage in the Tour of Turkey and his ability to manage and orchestrate a bunch sprint is extremely competant. Does Gaviria’s move open up a slot for a sprinter in the Quickstep ranks in addition to Viviani? If so, it won’t take Max long to own the bunch sprints himself, plus, he has the best knowledge on his nearest rival having led him out. Whether a lead out or a sprinter in his own right, Richeze can often be overlooked so in 2019, keep your eyes peeled and prepare to be impressed.
10. Enric Mas (Spain)
2019 team: Quickstep Floors (Deceuninck-QuickStep in 2019)
Dubbed the next Alberto Contador, Enric Mas has big shoes to fill but Contador himself showed his encouragement and appreciation in 2018, congratulating Mas on his intense Vuelta stage win. Quickstep has a firm grounding and always brings riders out of their shells, dominating across classics and tours, one day and stage races, with numerous successful riders. Traditionally, Quickstep’s strength has been in the spring classics but with Cavendish, followed by Kittel, then Gaviria and Viviani, they’ve honed their sprinting and if the 2016 Giro was anything to go by, when three different Quickstep riders wore the pink jersey, they certainly know how to play stage races. Mas was rumoured to be linked to a move to Astana for 2019 but as not yet confirmed, the multi assailant attack style of the Quickstep will suit Mas in 2019 as he won’t be individually marked in the peloton so will be able to plot and position until the select climbers come to the fore towards the end of tough stages. The team’s dual focus on GC and sprints in Grand Tours in 2018 helped keep the pressure away from a single rider and this should also play to Mas’s advantage in 2019, at his young age, he has all the support he needs, simultaneously without the focused pressure that usually accompanies this. If El Pistolero has faith in him, he’ll be shooting sharp and never be far off the mark in 2019.
