OFFICIAL: EF Education-EasyPost turn to former junior world champion from Red Bull after Richard Carapaz exit
Cycling
EF Education-EasyPost have signed Emil Herzog from Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe for 2027, recruiting the former junior world champion as they rebuild following Richard Carapaz’s departure. The 22-year-old German arrives after three WorldTour seasons, seeking more opportunities to race for victories of his own.
“I want to start winning. That’s my main goal – to win again, in breakaways, racing aggressively,” Herzog said in EF’s announcement. “I’m not a guy who likes to sit in the bunch all day and wait for the last climb.”
His signing follows Monday’s confirmation that Tao Geoghegan Hart will also join the American team. Herzog offers a younger option for demanding one-day races and selective stage finishes, having finished fourth at the Bretagne Classic and second on the final stage of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana this season.
Emil Herzog in action for Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe
Herzog seeks his own chances after three WorldTour seasons
At the Bretagne Classic in August, Herzog helped animate the race from more than 100 kilometres out and remained involved deep into the finale as Alex Aranburu took victory. His runner-up finish in Valenciana came behind Raul Garcia Pierna on a day when Red Bull teammate Remco Evenepoel secured the overall title.
Herzog will move in the opposite direction to Georg Steinhauser, who is joining Red Bull after finishing on the Paris-Nice podium for EF this season. For Herzog, the attraction of the American team was evident during the summer.
“Watching the Tour de France this year, the team was really good, and I want to contribute to that,” he said. “I’m still young, and I think I have some talent; I showed it in the juniors. I think I’ll get more opportunities here. I’m really looking forward to it.”
EF CEO Jonathan Vaughters described the German as “a huge talent”, pointing to the experience he has accumulated since his junior world title. “He was knocking on the door of his first professional win this season. I think he is going to flourish in the years ahead,” Vaughters said. “He is an aggressive racer who really fits into our team’s style. We’re going to give him every opportunity to show his skills and strength.”
Recovering the finishing speed that brought rainbow glory
Herzog won the junior world road race title in Wollongong in 2022 by chasing down Antonio Morgado late in the race and beating him in a two-man sprint. He also took bronze in the junior time trial before moving from Auto Eder to Hagens Berman Axeon in 2023, then stepping into the WorldTour with Bora in 2024.
“In the juniors, I was more of a sprinter, a bit more of a classics rider, but I’ve turned a bit more into a climber type – hard one-day races suit me, and stage races with a tough climb at the finish,” Herzog explained.
“But my goal should be to get back that explosiveness, because I love going in breakaways, and if I’m in a group that comes to the finish, I’d love to be able to win the sprint out of it,” he continued. “My fatigue resistance is quite good, so it’s good for me when we have to push the whole day.”
His endurance has also taken him beyond the road. Herzog finished eighth on his Unbound Gravel debut this year and won the German gravel championship, having grown up combining mountain biking with cross-country skiing near the Bavarian Alps.
“If I can train on a gravel bike, and race on gravel now and then, I get some freshness in my head, and I think I benefit in both disciplines,” he said. “I hope I can do some gravel races next year – that would be really cool and motivating.”
Read also
EF recruit after a run of departures
Carapaz and Kasper Asgreen are leaving EF for NSN Cycling, Markel Beloki and James Shaw are joining Netcompany INEOS, and Madis Mihkels is heading to Alpecin-Premier Tech. Alongside Steinhauser’s exit, those moves remove riders from both the climbing group and the team’s Classics options.
EF have retained Ben Healy and Neilson Powless through 2029, while Sean Quinn has signed for another three years. Herzog’s interest in the Ardennes and difficult stage finishes gives him common ground with that group, with his recent results offering scope for assignments of his own.
Geoghegan Hart arrives seeking to regain the form that made him a Giro d’Italia winner. Herzog is at a different stage: his strongest recent road performances have come in selective one-day racing and from a breakaway, rather than through a Grand Tour classification challenge.
With both signings now confirmed, EF’s incoming business has moved beyond development-team promotions. The next season will test two distinct ambitions: Geoghegan Hart’s pursuit of his former level and Herzog’s attempt to turn increasingly competitive performances into his first professional road victory.
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.
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