The "next Mathieu van der Poel" leaps from junior category straight to WorldTour with EF Education-EasyPost

The elite cycling scene is about to welcome a new rising star. Young Italian Mattia Agostinacchio, junior cyclo-cross world champion, has signed a long-term contract with the EF Education-EasyPost. The American WorldTour team will welcome the talented youngster already in a few weeks from now, joining the team for early field events of this winter with team's new cyclocross project and officially on road from 2026 onwards.

At just 18 years old, Mattia Agostinacchio is already considered one of the most promising talents in world cycling. His career began in the world of mountain biking, then moved to cyclocross and, more recently, has ventured into road racing.

In his own words, Mattia is very satisfied with what he has achieved so far, especially with his win at the Cyclocross World Championships. "This year has been amazing. I'm happy with how I've raced and with some of my victories. I came into this season after winning the World Championship in cyclocross, a title I worked hard for," he said in a press communication.

The young cyclist sees EF Education-EasyPost as the ideal opportunity to further develop his career. "I think EF Education-EasyPost is the perfect team for me. It's an ideal team for young people, because they are very strong in developing cyclists," he said, also stressing the importance of enjoying the process while learning and improving as a professional.

What is most surprising about Mattia, in addition to his natural talent, is his ability to learn in a self-taught manner. The cyclist has taught himself English through YouTube and TikTok videos, which shows his dedication and adaptability.

"My dad raced some races as an amateur, so I've been on the bike since I was little. I started with mountain biking and then about four or five years ago I got into cyclocross. Four years ago I did my first race, and from 2024 I started taking road racing more seriously," explained Mattia, who considers himself a versatile cyclist, especially in one-day events and shorter climbs.

Comparisons between Mattia Agostinacchio and Mathieu van der Poel, one of today's most complete and successful cyclists, have not been slow to emerge. Although Mattia is grateful for the comparisons, he keeps his feet on the ground and focuses on his own development.

"I grew up a big fan of Mathieu van der Poel. A lot of people say I look like him, but honestly, I don't think so. If I could be anything like him as a cyclist, I would be very happy," the young Italian said.,

The future looks bright for Mattia, and EF Pro Cycling CEO Jonathan Vaughters himself is quick to highlight the rider's exceptional qualities.

"This kid is incredibly smart. He learned English by watching YouTube and TikTok, and that impressed me," commented Vaughters, who also highlighted the story of Mattia, whose father, a policeman, and mother, a teacher, had no experience in professional cycling, but knew how to support their son in a self-taught and passionate way.

One of Mattia's most outstanding characteristics is his explosiveness in competition. In cyclocross, he has proven to be able to create decisive differences in short time intervals, which has been key to his success.

According to Vaughters, this ability to generate bursts of power at key moments is a natural talent that not many riders possess. "In cyclocross, his ability is that he can pick a climb or a specific moment and be extremely explosive for two minutes, creating a gap that then doesn't close," the team CEO explained.

Mattia's roadmap in road cycling will be defined at a later date, but what is clear is that the young Italian will be part of the EF Education-EasyPost WorldTour team in 2026, although he will start competing in some lower ranking events with the EF Education-Aevolo development team.

Vaughters has indicated that he will not be pushed too hard at first, but the intention is to introduce him to some WorldTour races to gain experience in high-level competition.

"We're not going to push him too hard, but when we can, we'll put him in some WorldTour races so he can start learning. The sooner he understands how races like the Tour of Flanders or the Amstel Gold Race work, the sooner he can start to be successful in them," Vaughters explained.

Mattia might not be the only Agostinacchio family member racing in pink colours next year as his older brother Filippo Agostinacchio (currently racing for Biesse-Carrera) has been strongly linked with the American formation. The 22-year-old has been a runner-up at the under-23 cyclocross European Championships last winter and impressed with breakaway ability on road this year, winning stages at the Giro Next Gen and Valle d'Aosta.