


Paul Seixas was the youngest rider in the WorldTour peloton last road season, but the French top talent - still only 19 years old - must now give that honor to an Italian: Mattia Agostinacchio.
The just-turned 18-year-old junior Cyclocross World Champion recently signed his first professional contract with EF Education-EasyPost. Several international top teams were vying for the Italian super talent, but the American outfit emerged victorious. The all-rounder signed a contract with EF Education-EasyPost until the end of 2027.
Agostinacchio will join the WorldTeam on January 1, 2026, but can already be admired in the striking pink colors of EF Education-EasyPost. "According to UCI rules, he normally wouldn’t be allowed to race in our kit and on our bikes until January 1," explains former rider Sebastian Langeveld, head of scouting at the team, in an interview with WielerFlits.
"The easiest way to have him ride for us already was to register our own cyclocross team – with minimal effort. It might not sound very spectacular, but that’s the real reason behind our cyclocross project," the Dutchman reveals.

Agostinacchio was already cyclocross world champion at the junior level – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Due to his versatility, Agostinacchio is already being compared to a certain Mathieu van der Poel, but Langeveld doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. "He still has to prove everything, but as a young rider he was pretty exceptional across all disciplines. We hope he develops into a road cyclist who excels in the classics."
"But he is still very young, and we believe that cyclocross can help him develop well as a rider. There are enough examples where it really works. [...] We don’t want to compare Mattia to Mathieu, but if you approach the winter with a well-balanced cyclocross program, it can also give us an advantage on the road."
📊Youngest WT riders in 2026:
18-110: 🇮🇹Agostinacchio (EFE)
19-099: 🇫🇷Seixas (DAT)
19-120: 🇩🇰W Philipsen (LTK)
19-182: 🇫🇷Charret (COF)
19-220: 🇪🇸Pericas (UAE)
19-286: 🇸🇮Omrzel (BHV)
19-315: 🇦🇺Holmes (JAY)
19-344: 🇳🇱Remijn (ADC)
20-010: 🇸🇰Schwarzbacher (EFE)
20-052: 🇪🇸Torres (UAE)
— Cycling Statistics 📊 (@StatsOnCycling) November 6, 2025
