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.”
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.”