"It is not everyday that you go from your club to the WorldTour" - Sebastian Langeveld praises EF's newest acquisition, Jardi Christiaan van der Lee
Cycling
EF Education-EasyPost recently revealed two young additions to their climbing roster. Sebastian Langeveld now talks a bit about the less known of the two, Jardi Christiaan van der Lee. The Dutch cyclist made a name for himself in online races, but it wasn't until he showed results in international field on road, that big teams finally decided to take a shot at him.
Not many people saw this transfer coming for the 21-year old Dutchman. "It is not everyday that you go from your club to the WorldTour. I think it is a very striking transfer," says Langeveld, sports director and scout with Van der Lee's new team.
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Langeveld himself played a role in Van der Lee's recruitment. "Jardi has been noticed because he actually achieved very good performances with eRacing. In addition, he finished fourth in the Nations Cup Orlen GP, his first international result. That was the deciding factor to talk to him."
"In the end, as a team, we took the well-considered risk, because I think there is a lot of potential in Jardi," said Langeveld. "He is not the only example. Jay Vine also entered the WorldTour from eRacing and is now a top contender in the making. We are trying to enter that trajectory a bit with Jardi. That was a combination. From data, how he is as a person and especially the growth margin that it contains."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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