EF hail “Italian powerhouse” Agostinacchio after U23 Euro title — and yes, the Van der Poel comparisons are real

At 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.

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.”

“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.