The American from Durango, Colorado just stepped up to our EF Education-EasyPost roster from EF Education-Aevolo and will ride his first race on the squad at the Ronde van Vlaanderen. Strong rides at the Tour of Rhodes, where he finished third on GC, and Coppi e Bartali, where he raced alongside his new WorldTour teammates, proved Colby’s strength and his skills. Now, he is ready to put them to the test in one of the sport’s toughest arenas. The Ronde van Vlaanderen is a huge race for Colby to make his WorldTour debut. He did a recon of the course today with his new teammates and is now buzzing for Sunday’s start in Brugge.

“It’s just crazy to be here,” Colby said. “Obviously, the morale is really high with how well Dwars went for Neilson. Everybody is super motivated. Just seeing the other teams, the fans on the side of the road, you can really tell that this is one of the biggest events of the year. I came here with my parents to watch my brother race junior Paris-Roubaix and we spectated Flanders. That was 2019 and Bettiol won for EF. From watching the race to actually being in the race, I can't even put it into words.”

Colby is an explosive rider, well suited to punchy climbs like the ones he is going to hit Sunday at De Ronde. With his peloton skills, climbing ability, and fast finish, he will be a strong addition to our squad. He had his best season yet in 2024, when he finished second on GC at the Tour Alsace and was the best young rider. His favorite race that he has done so far was Paris-Roubaix Espoirs. One of Colby’s boyhood dreams was to ride onto the velodrome at the finish of the pro race. He might just get his chance at Paris-Roubaix next week.

First, he is focused on Flanders and absorbing all of the experience that he can from new teammates like Neilson Powless.

“I can definitely learn quite a bit from him,” Colby says. “It is super sweet to have another American and be on an American team. The main thing he said is to just stay relaxed, because when you're on the cobbles, you feel the need to be super tense, but you really just want to roll your way through it. You want to finesse it in a way and not grab the handlebar super tight and just roll with it.”

Colby will take the same relaxed approach to the rest of the season. He wants to help his teammates out as best as he can and race his bike fast without letting the pressure get to him.

“I just want to do what I can for the guys and pedal hard,” Colby says. “Every race is an opportunity and I like to race my bike.”

Enjoy De Ronde, Colby. It is one heck of a great bike race to make your WorldTour debut!