EF hail “Italian powerhouse” Agostinacchio after U23 Euro title — and yes, the Van der Poel comparisons are real
Cyclocross
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Follow us on GoogleAt EF Education–EasyPost, the smiles were wide on Saturday. The American team recently announced the signing of Mattia Agostinacchio, and the 18-year-old Italian underlined his potential by taking the men’s U23 European title on Saturday. A big future has been forecast for him — and judging by the way he rides, that prediction looks well founded.
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In 2025 on the road, Agostinacchio raced for Ciclistica Trevigliese, an Italian club team. For that outfit he had already won the Gran Premio BCC Cantù in both 2024 and 2025, and this year he also struck at the GP Liberazione Città di Massa. He won a stage and finished second overall at the Trophée Centre Morbihan, and later added the Trofeo San Rocco.
He’d been winning regularly in cyclo-cross as well. Last winter alone he took thirteen junior races, including the world title in Liévin. His step up to U23 has been smooth so far this season: after an Italian campaign filled exclusively with podiums, he delivered again in Middelkerke by winning the U23 European Championships.
“I tried it in the penultimate lap, but I didn’t expect it to work,” the top talent said afterwards in the flash interview. “I started with the ambition to get on the podium — that would’ve been good enough. But I’m speechless. This means a lot to me; the U23 category is very tough.”
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Agostinacchio’s style strongly resembles Mathieu van der Poel’s
“A perfect performance, from start to finish,” his new team EF Education–EasyPost wrote about his European gold medal. They also called him an “Italian powerhouse.” And to think he’s only half of a successful cycling twin: his older brother Filippo Agostinacchio (22) is, in principle, set to join EF from 2027, he said in an interview with Bici.
Bright horizons, then — for the family, for EF, and for the sport. The fact that Mattia Agostinacchio is heading to the WorldTour at just eighteen says plenty about his engine. On social media, his style has already been compared several times to that of Mathieu van der Poel. Watch the videos of his position on the bike and the way he gets out of the saddle, and the comparison makes perfect sense.
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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Latest Comments
- If he finished ninth at the Tour, why didn’t he get a stage win too? I’m still trying to understand how the overall standings work.julien11-11-2026
- No ‘cross at all this winter? That’s a shame, but with his road season starting in February, I can see why he’d want a proper break. Does stepping away mean he’s done with cyclocross for good?gearguru3311-11-2026
- I like the honesty of that training post. Even the best riders feel the difference after a few weeks off, and he’s got plenty of time to build back up.samanthak11-11-2026
- Three sets of tyres in two days at the Nürburgring! The man clearly doesn’t do anything by halves. Bet a winter without cyclocross will feel strange, though.bikebuffj11-11-2026
- Fifth in the world rankings after that autumn run is some achievement. Pidcock was so aggressive at the Tour, too—hopefully he can turn a few of those near-misses into wins inpatriciaw11-11-2026
- Does XEFI’s investment mean the team will have more money to sign riders, or is it mainly a sponsorship and naming change? And is Roglič expected to race much next season?jeremya11-11-2026
- If the roster is nearly complete, why bring up Roglič at all? Feels like the article is turning a firm “no” into a transfer rumour.andrewf11-11-2026
- Wuling is no joke—105 km of climbing to 3,275 metres is brutal. Five minutes off Dyball’s record is still an incredible ride.velodromevirtuoso111-11-2026
- Roglič at TotalEnergies would be a fascinating move, but Heulot sounds pretty clear that it isn’t happening. His experience could be a massive boost for the younger riders, though.jennifer1911-11-2026
- Eight riders told to go for stages, and nobody gets one—hard to know what the plan was there. It’ll be interesting to see whether they pick a clear leader next time.bikebuffj10-11-2026
