EF's cyclocross wonder kid is struggling to unleash full potential: 'Optimistic about his future'

Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert were trailblazers, but these days it’s quite common to make the transition from cyclocross to road racing. Every year, new talents emerge, and Mattia Agostinacchio is one of the biggest names on the rise. The 18-year-old rider from EF Education-EasyPost made his WorldTour debut this year, but things aren’t going according to plan at all.

Agostinacchio has made a tremendous impression in cyclocross: he became European champion in the U23 category and has already achieved impressive results in elite races, such as a 13th-place finish in the Tour de la Citadelle de Namur. He also showed impressive form on the road, leading EF Education-EasyPost to promote him to the elite team at the age of 18: no year in the U23 category, but a direct move up from the juniors.

But things aren’t going so well for him just yet. “He started cyclocross with us in the winter and immediately achieved great results, which was truly exceptional for his age,” team manager Sebastian Langeveld tells Bici.Pro. “After his continental triumph, he competed in the race in Namur, where he went up against the elite—riders who were much older and more experienced—and he delivered a remarkable performance there as well. At that point, however, he began experiencing physical problems—a viral infection.”

It led to a false start to his road season—and, on top of that, a snowball effect. “He’d been sick a few times and couldn’t regain his former form or the energy he needed to race. In May, we realized there was no point in pushing through and trying to improve his time; it was better to stop, get treatment, and train.”

He’s back on track now, but aside from DNFs in the Brabantse Pijl and Eschborn-Frankfurt, he hasn’t achieved anything yet. That has nothing to do with a difference in level. “Of course, it’s a big step to go straight from the juniors to the WorldTour. But the plan was always to combine races with the team with WorldTour races. So, in fact, he would have mainly been racing in U23 events anyway.”

Langeveld therefore remains confident in his protégé, whose riding style bears a striking resemblance to Van der Poel’s. “I don’t want to draw comparisons with other riders, but I think we’re also seeing a lot of excellent road cyclists emerge in cyclocross. We once had Van der Poel and Van Aert; now we have Nys, Del Grosso, and many others. We think Mattia could be one of those riders who chooses the right races in the winter to excel in the other seasons as well.”

That’s why Agostinacchio will be racing a bit less this coming winter. This should pay off big for EF Education-EasyPost: they see him as a rising star. “We’re not saying that Agostinacchio will be racing at a certain level in four or five years, but he’s with us, has a contract, and we’d like to keep him. We’re optimistic about his future and believe in him. It’s up to us to help him reach his full potential in the coming years,” Langeveld concludes.