Follow IDL Pro Cycling on Google
Stay up to date with the best cycling news by making us a preferred source on Google.
Follow us on GoogleEF Education-EasyPost were the last of the 23 Giro teams to name their eight-man squad. The American team already confirmed earlier this week that they will race in a green kit — but which riders will be wearing it?
ADVERTISEMENT
The team, who normally ride in pink but switch kits each Giro to avoid clashing with the maglia rosa, include one Dutchman in their line-up: Jardi van der Lee. He and his seven teammates share a single stated objective: "Win stages," as the team put it in a press release.
For the sprint stages — including the opening day — EF have a fast man in 22-year-old Estonian Madis Mihkels. He will not have much of a dedicated lead-out train behind him, as the remaining riders are essentially free to pursue their own stage opportunities on other days.
Michael Valgren and Samuele Battistella may still offer some support on sprint days, though in hilly terrain both are dangerous for their own results. Battistella arrived at the race in strong form after the Settimana Coppi e Bartali; Valgren won a stage at Tirreno-Adriatico.
"I'm going all-in for a stage win," said Valgren. "I've prepared very well and I'm in better shape than two years ago, so I think I can win. The win at Tirreno finally gave me that feeling again and I want it once more. That's my motivation — I want a stage win in a Grand Tour on my palmares. I've earned that."
Continue reading below the photo
Valgren triumphed in the Tirreno, his first win since a serious crash in 2022
Can EF Education-EasyPost deliver in the high mountains without Carapaz?
For the highest mountain stages, Jefferson Cepeda is the clear candidate, following Richard Carapaz's failure to recover in time for the Giro. The Ecuadorian impressed at the Tour de Romandie and Tour of the Alps.
Darren Rafferty also raced in the Alps and wore the mountains jersey there for seven days. He too can be expected to go for breakaways. "It's strange to race without Carapaz — the last two Grand Tours we both rode in support of his classification. Now I'm hoping for my own chances, and I'll grab them with both hands."
Markel Beloki lines up for his second Grand Tour at just 20 years old, following the 2025 Vuelta a España. A result just outside the top finishers at the Tour of the Basque Country rounded off his pre-Giro programme. Now he has to be at his absolute best. "A day in the breakaway on a hard stage would be perfect for me."
What Van der Lee can produce remains to be seen. The Dutchman finished ninth at the Coppi e Bartali, but had a fairly anonymous Ardennes campaign in the spring.
EF Education-EasyPost Giro d'Italia 2026 squad:
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'.
IDL-productions
Glasgow set to shine as World Cup demand outstrips expectations and Mason eyes first home cyclocross race
Pogačar, Vingegaard and Van Aert went faster again in 2026... except when they didn't
Team GB dominate, China on the rise, Lavreysen the best ever? Five takeaways from the 2026 Track World Championships
Track World Championships day 2: A golden day for Team GB, Levreysen goes 2 for 2, and Kopecky eliminates the competition
Rumours, speculation and guesswork: 2027 Tour de France route will be revealed live on October 22 in Paris
Latest Cycling News
Tadej Pogačar isn't especially impressed by the 2027 Tour de France route: 'Its always more or less the same'
Tadej Pogačar on Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Boonen, but also kiwi/pineapple, visualisation and the Gravel World Championships
Former Giro winner Tom Dumoulin records a blistering time at the New York Marathon
Paul Seixas looks to avoid Pogačar at the Tour de France en route to his top priority, the World Championships
Vingegaard and Seixas should ride the 2027 Giro d’Italia: 'Climbers will be very happy'
Popular Cycling News
Tadej Pogačar isn't especially impressed by the 2027 Tour de France route: 'Its always more or less the same'
Former Giro winner Tom Dumoulin records a blistering time at the New York Marathon
Tadej Pogačar on Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Boonen, but also kiwi/pineapple, visualisation and the Gravel World Championships
Modern Adventure just keeps growing: Hincapie's team strengthen 2027 roster with 4 great signings
Disgruntled Sjklemose could be best suited rider for Tour de France 2027 at Lidl-Trek: 'That doesn’t sit well'
Latest Comments
- Why would a mountain time trial be different from a normal one? Is it just that the riders have to climb the whole course?samanthak03-11-2026
- I don’t quite buy the “fear of failure” argument. Riders can race the Giro and still have confidence in July; it comes down to recovery and planning, doesn’t it?patriciaw03-11-2026
- The Giro-Tour double is a massive ask, even for the very best. Pogačar made it look almost routine in 2024, but that’s hardly a sensible benchmark for everyone else!pedalpowe2903-11-2026
- Bakelants makes a fair point: if the 2027 Tour really suits Remco, he can’t afford to dilute the build-up. That 37km flat TT will be tempting, mind.julien03-11-2026
- Mont Blanc sounds like a spectacular finish, though four climbs on the final day might be a bit much after eight hard stages. Hope the route details are clear soon.raceready703-11-2026
- Is the Valdigne time trial uphill all the way, or are there flatter sections too? I’m still figuring out how these stages work.jennifer1903-11-2026
- Three sprint chances, then all that climbing? The GC battle should really take shape after Passo San Marco. Can’t wait!robert6503-11-2026
- Finishing on the same day the men race Stage 20 is a nice touch, but I hope the women’s race gets plenty of coverage too.pedalpowe2903-11-2026
- Three mountain finishes and an uphill time trial—this route looks tailor-made for Vollering. That final stage to Mont Blanc could be brutal.cadencekingm03-11-2026
- Seixas has said he’s bored with the transfer talk, so maybe the article could give more space to the racing itself. He’s under contract until 2027; there’s no need to turn every appearance into a signing saga.velodromevirtuoso103-11-2026