Battistella called his agent himself for a transfer to a new team: "I wanted to sign for this team immediately"
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Follow us on GoogleAfter four years with Astana Qazaqstan, Samuele Battistella has found a new team. The Italian, who became world champion in the U23 category in 2019, is transferring to EF Education-EasyPost. The American team announced this on Thursday afternoon through its official channels. The 25-year-old Italian highlighted some interesting aspects of his new team.
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With this transfer, Battistella brings an end to his time with the Kazakh team. "I talked to a few friends before joining," the Italian explained about his transfer, which he partly initiated himself. "Everyone I spoke to said the same thing, that EF Education-EasyPost is an amazing team and is super professional. Once I heard that I talked to my agent because I wanted to sign for this team immediately."
"I’ve seen this team race every year since I turned professional," Battistella continued. "They’ve always raced in the right way. They’re always attacking, never surrender and provide all their riders with opportunities. It always feels like there’s space for every rider on the team and that was very attractive to me. In modern-day cycling, it’s hard to find teams that will give you opportunities. EF Education-EasyPost is one of those teams," said the happy Italian. The American team has won 24 times this year, with Richard Carapaz's victory in the Tour de France being the biggest.
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"The most important goal is to find myself," says Battistella
Battistella has only won once in his career, in the fall of 2021, when he crossed the finish line first in the Veneto Classic. "The most important goal for me is to find myself next year," the former U23 world champion looks ahead to the new year. He is also happy with other aspects of the American team. "I’m not saying this just because I’m joining but to me, EF Education-EasyPost are one of the coolest-looking teams in the peloton," he says, referring to the bright pink jerseys of the team. "Their social media always looks amazing too," added the Italian.
Team boss Jonathan Vaughters is also very positive about bringing the Italian on board. "Samuele is a rider we’ve been tracking for some time, and he's been incredibly consistent. Our team is constantly trying to progress and develop and Samuele is a rider we think can complement our squad. We genuinely believe that he can find that winning groove with us next season. As Samuele also points out, we’re one of the coolest-looking teams in the peloton and we’re hoping his Italian style will rub off on the rest of the team, too," joked the 51-year-old American.
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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