ED Education-EasyPost team manager Jonathan Vaughters have confirmed that the team allowed Richard Carapaz to leave, citing increased financial contraints leading to the team with no choice but to allow the Ecuadorian to leave.

It was confirmed last week that the Tour de France stage winner was heading to NSN Cycling Team, leaving the Ameircan setup after four seasons and with still one more season left on his deal.

Vaughters has now confirmed that the move was not forced upon them, and that a hard decision was made amid financial constraints that leaves the team with approximately 15 percent less budget for 2027.

“It was a little bit of a sad situation where our economic resources were stretched to the point that we needed to make some hard decisions,” Vaughters told Escape Collective.

The main financial blow for the team comes in the form of Oatly, one of the title sponsor of the women's team, leaving the setup. Both teams share the same budget meaning that Oatly's departure also affects the men's team.

Vaughters on the team's financial situation

“That’s the first, you know, ping. The second one is just world economics. Our operational costs have gone up a lot, and when you’re a smaller-budget team that hits you a lot harder than it does at UAE.”

Despite efforts across 2026 to secure a new sponsor, EF have to face 2027 with a tighter budget, leading to the decision not to stand in the way of Carapaz departing, which proved a hard but cost-cutting measure.

Comparing the move to the team's - then Team Garmin-Slipstream - attempts to keep Bradley Wiggins before his eventual move to Sky, Vaughters confirmed the team did not fight to hold onto their big name rider.

“When it comes down to like, well, what are the cost centres that you can get rid of? Well, there’s not so many options, right? A very simple option would be to just let your most highly compensated rider leave.

“We willingly let Richie go. It was not forced, it was not a Brad Wiggins situation where we were fighting it tooth and nail."

Vaughters looks ahead despite big rider exit

Looking forward, EF's budget and now roster strength has taken a hit. For the team manager, he wants to put faith in others who have had less opportunities or hoping to fight back - seemingly pointing toward the arrival of Tao Geoghegan Hart.

The 2020 Giro winner has struggled in three seasons at Lidl-Trek after breaking his femur at the 2023 Giro. He joins the team in his hopes to revive his career.

“Sometimes you just gotta take the gut check and let the big-name rider go and put faith into someone who nobody’s heard of, nobody’s counting on, or everybody has written off,” he said.

“You just have to say, we’re going to take that responsibility, take that risk, and we are going to ignore what public opinion is.”