EF Education-EasyPost announce signing of Joseba Beloki's son, Markel Beloki

Markel Beloki, the son of former Spanish cyclist Joseba Beloki, who famously crashed out of the 2003 Tour de France in terrifying style, has signed a professional contract with EF Education-EasyPost.

“My objective right now is to improve. I know that I am young, really young to be in the WorldTour, but I will have time in this team to improve little by little," says a delighted and determined Beloki to EF Education-EasyPost's official social media channels. "I will go in every day to improve my level and work for the team.”

The American-based team have high hopes for the 18-year-old Spaniard, with their announcement describing Beloki as someone with a very high ceiling. “Markel has proven to be the dominant junior in Spanish racing,” says EF Education-EasyPost CEO Jonathan Vaughters. “He has set all-time records on climbs across the Basque Country, bettering many riders who have gone on to do some pretty incredible things in grand tours. And he is a big, strong kid, not a tiny little climber."

"He's Spanish national time trial champion. He has clearly inherited everything that his father had in his racing days and, and maybe even more. He is an excellent bike handler, who knows how to read races. The challenge for us is just going to be making sure that we nurture him carefully," Vaughters concludes. "This will be the first time we have ever taken a junior directly into the WorldTour ranks. We believe that Markel has an incredible future in front of him.”