Madis Mihkels' home team EF Education-EasyPost is testing itself in the world of cyclo-cross for the first time, creating a three-rider program that also includes former junior world champion in the discipline, Mattia Agostinacchio.
The 18-year-old Italian will also join EF's WorldTour team next January, but he will already be representing the team in the ongoing cyclo-cross season. His older brother Filippo, a two-time U23 Italian champion and Giro NextGen stage winner, is also part of the squad.
The third athlete in the original program is former U23 Luxembourg cyclocross champion Nina Berton – a third-year professional cyclist who has been a member of the EF Education-Oatly ProTeam since the beginning of this year.
"This is an exciting pilot for us, but we also want to do really well," said EF Pro Cycling CEO Jonathan Vaughters. "Since Lachlan Morton's idea for an alternative calendar, we've always taken a slightly different, experimental approach. This is a continuation of that, because we believe that cycling should be as inclusive as possible. We've always wanted to bring the sport closer to as many people as possible, and starting a cyclo-cross team allows us to reach a whole new audience. We're starting with junior world champion Mattia, his brother Filippo and Nina - it seems like a great place to start."
Mattia Agostinacchio, who recently competed at the World Championships in Rwanda, plans to participate in a full cyclo-cross competition program before the World Championships in Hulst in February 2025.
"As a world champion, cyclo-cross is extremely important to me, so I want to give it my best shot," said Agostinacchio. "I also believe that starting the cyclo-cross season will help me adapt and develop over the winter before I start focusing on the 2026 road season. We see from many riders how cyclo-cross also helps in road racing - it's a discipline that teaches a lot," said Berton. "It's also just a great addition to the winter program. In Luxembourg, almost every young rider does cyclo-cross at some point - it's part of the development. I've never done a full season, but cyclo-cross has always been an important part of my preparation outside of the road season."
Combining cyclo-cross and road racing has been common practice for years for teams such as Visma–Lease a Bike, Alpecin–Deceuninck and Fenix–Alpecin, as well as many Belgian teams. However, for EF, this is a first.
