EF Education-EasyPost have confirmed the signing of American talent Luke Lamperti, securing one of the United States’ brightest rising stars ahead of the 2026 season.
The 22-year-old arrives from Soudal - Quick-Step and is already seen as a future cornerstone of the American WorldTour squad thanks to his blend of sprint power, classics strength and race savvy. With six career wins so far — including a Czech Tour stage victory this summer — Lamperti has been widely tipped for major one-day success in the years ahead.
“It feels like I am coming home,” Lamperti said in the team’s announcement. “It’s an American team. Obviously, cycling isn't massive in the US, so it is pretty special to be able to join an American WorldTour team as an American rider.”
He added: “I already know quite a lot of the guys and am looking forward to joining a nice group and seeing what the next years bring.”
Read also
A punchy sprinter built for the cobbles
Lamperti’s arrival fits EF’s continued push to strengthen their classics unit. CEO Jonathan Vaughters did not hold back in outlining the Californian's potential.
“Luke is a great sprinter and a great classics rider who knows how to do a lead out,” Vaughters said. “He is a real leader, especially for a guy who is as young as he is. He can already be a road captain… I could see him winning a race like Gent Wevelgem. If you really want to dream: Milano-Sanremo.”
Lamperti echoed that ambition, describing himself as “a sprinter, but not a pure sprinter.”
“I am more of a punchy sprinter who can do well in the classics and then sprints, where there are fewer guys,” he explained. “There are races like Sanremo, where I would really like to do well. Grand tour stages are also something I'd like to go for more in the future.”
The Californian also underlined his love for the culture and chaos of the cobbled classics: “I love the thrill from the start to the finish of the classics… you always have excitement. I really like the full day of excitement and full gas racing and positioning for the cobbled climbs.”
Ready for the next step
After developing through Trinity Racing and making an immediate impression at WorldTour level, Lamperti now sees EF as the platform to turn promise into marquee wins.
“I want to get the best out of myself throughout my career,” he said. “I want to perform in the best races in the world… continuing to step up until I am going for results in the biggest races.”
EF are equally convinced. “He’s going to be one of our go-to classics guys in the cobbled races,” Vaughters declared. “And he is going to be a sprinter that we use quite a bit.”
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 5visitors 5
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
Loading
Next up in pink: It's Luke Lamperti 🥳 Kicking off our week of rider announcements, we're excited to welcome Luke to EF Education-EasyPost in 2026! From his motocross roots to chasing classics dreams, this American rider is ready to take on a new WorldTour season in pink. Who
2 Comments