McLay confirms second year with EF Pro Cycling

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British sprinter Dan McLay confirmed on Twitter on Sunday that he'll be returning to EF Pro Cycling next year. The 26-year-old joined the American WorldTour team this season after two years with the French Fortuneo Pro Continental team. 

Responding to queries from fans on the social media site, McLay responded affirmatively when asked if he'd be back in the pink argyle kit of the team sponsored by EF Education First. "Yes, I am staying with EF," he tweeted.

A Dave Rayner Fund rider in Belgium as an under-23 rider, McLay took his first victory at the GP Stad Waregem and then another five wins in the weeks that followed, earning him a place with Lotto's development programme.

He turned pro with Bretagne-Séché Environnement in 2015, and has taken six UCI wins since, starting with a stage at La Tropicale Amissa Bongo in his first pro year. The team became Fortuneo-Vital Concept in 2016 – the year McLay took two one-day wins in France at the GP de Denain and Grand Prix de la Somme. In 2017 with Fortuneo-Oscaro, he took victories at the Trofeo Palma and Tour de l'Eurométropole.

McLay began 2017 with the victory in Spain, but in the next 71 race days he only managed one podium, with a broken rib and sickness taking a toll on the first half of his season. He announced his move to EF Pro Cycling 24 hours after redeeming the season with a win at l'Eurométropole, saying at the time that he hoped to "get into a habit of winning" in 2018.

That winning habit never really materialised, however, as McLay's only 2018 victory came during stage 4 of the Circuit Cycliste Sarthe-Pays de la Loire. He started the season well, with two top-five finishes at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and the Abu Dhabi Tour, but a tough outing at Paris-Nice led to a 'DNF' there, and again at Milan-San Remo and Gent-Wevelgem.

McLay jumped back with the stage win at Pays de la Loire, but he would only see the podium one other time over the rest of the year, taking second to Alvaro Hodeg (Quick-Step Floors) on stage 3 of the Tour of Poland.