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OGE have been clever in how they've started as a sprint team and organically developed their own GT capability. They recruited Ruben Plaza and Amets Txurruka for this year, but have Jack Haig and Robert Power (if he recovers from illness) as additional support for GC riders. I'd be surprised if they don't give Haig his first GT ride at the Vuelta, but you'd think they'll be looking to recruit a couple more mountain domestiques for next season, now they have at least two riders capable of challenging for GT wins.
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Yeah, I hadn't considered that: Sky went full tilt at GTs and have developed other aspects, and OBE did it the other way around. Would be interesting to see OBE defending the leaders jersey in a GT, it's hard to imagine. You'd just expect them to be all Aussie and stop for a beer, barbie and a sing song with the fans halfway up a mountain.
I wonder what Yates might have done had he had a team behind him, with Chaves and his brother there for the climbs (although arguably Chaves would be leader in that scenario). Instead OBE went there like they always do, with a combination of sprinters and puncheurs to nab stage wins, and Yates had virtually no support in the mountains. It makes his 4th all the more impressive.