I spoke with Michael Leonard about a week after he wrapped up the Tour de la Provence in France. It was his second stage race with EF Education-EasyPost. He transferred from Ineos Grenadiers following the past season. Leonard started his UCI WorldTour career with the British squad four years ago, so he’s been adjusting to the new environment.
“It’s quite different. I think we have one of the youngest average ages in the WorldTour. And so it’s definitely a super motivated environment. Everyone’s working really hard. Everyone’s having a lot of fun,” Leonard said. But despite the squad’s public appearance as the easygoing, fun team, Leonard said everyone still knows how to get serious. “You have some freedom to do things your own way, but in the end, it’s still professional cycling.”
Tour Down Under
Leonard had his first big test with the team at this year’s Tour Down Under, where he put on a show for Canadian fans by wearing the white jersey for most of the race. “Yeah, it was super nice. It was surprising. Actually, I wasn’t meant to do the Tour Down Under at all until the middle of December. So we did our best to prepare for it, and actually, it was a bit better than I expected. So it was nice to be able to show myself a little bit and to start with the team,” Leonard said.
It was at this race that Leonard also got acquainted with the big social media footprint of his new crew. “One difference is that there’s a bit more emphasis on media. They had more media people there. There were more interviews. There was just more emphasis on that. So I think that’s something to slowly get used to,” Leonard said. “To be honest, I don’t really like much attention at all. I’d rather just be a cyclist. But it’s also part of my job. And the sponsors need to get something out of what we do. So I respect that and I do my best for them.”
One feature of the new team that Leonard might not sync with is its strong mix of alternative races, such as Unbound or big FKTs, essentially anything Lachlan Morton is up to. “Yeah, I’m a road cyclist. I’m not anything else. I’d be a liability if I tried to do anything beyond road racing, to be honest,” he said.
Looking Ahead
But it’s not all Instagram reels and gravel races over at EF Education-EasyPost. Leonard wants to earn his place at his first Grand Tour this season. “This year, I feel more of a sense of responsibility,” Leonard said. “I think there’s more of an expectation that every rider sort of steps up and does good performances when it counts. And so, yeah, I need to work towards doing that.”
But the good news is he’s in the running for this year’s Giro d’Italia, so most of his riding from now will be in preparation for that. “Nothing’s 100 per cent until you start the race, but I’m on the list for it, so we’ll see,” Leonard said.
Beyond that, his big goal for the second half of the season will be the world championships in Montreal this fall.
With Leonard holding the Canadian time trial champion jersey and all the controversy surrounding Derek Gee-West’s Canadian road race champion jersey, I had to get Leonard’s thoughts on who wore it better. “Yeah, the new one’s better to be fair,” he said, referring to the second iteration of Gee-West’s jersey by Lidl-Trek, “but I still back mine.”