The team will race under the banner of EF Education–Aevolo and form a vital bridge between the EF Education-Onto junior team and the men’s WorldTour squad, EF Education-EasyPost.

Headed by former US pro Mike Creed, who has led the Aevolo program since its inception, our U23 squad will share the resources and the logistical support that our men’s and women’s professional teams enjoy.

“It’s exciting to start from scratch in setting up a European base and working with a proven WorldTour structure. I’m excited about the new landscape and getting fully stuck into a European calendar,” Creed said.

“We’ve put a lot of work into creating the best roster possible, and although we’re the new kids on the block, we want to make an instant impact on the road in 2025. Not just that, we’re keen to provide the right surroundings and culture for our young riders to explore and develop their careers. We have 11 riders but really this is about embarking on 11 adventures in the colors of EF Education–Aevolo,” Creed added.

The squad will consist of five riders from the United States, five Europeans, and one rider from Colombia. Carefully picked by Creed and the team’s head of scouting, Sebastian Langeveld, each athlete brings a different dynamic to the team, whether it’s their knowledge of racing on the cobbles of northern Europe, ability to handle the rigors of the US domestic scene, or excitement to soar to high-altitude summit finishes like those found in South America.

“It’s a super strong roster and we’re excited about the development and success for the future. On paper, Colby Simmons from the US and Noah Hobbs from Great Britain will be the riders we’ll lean on in the classics and flatter races. They’re our team captains, but we also have a strong climbing contingent. We’ve signed Miguel Ángel Marin who won the junior Tour of Colombia. I’m incredibly hopeful about him, and the rest of the team will give us major depth and scope for improvement,” Creed said.

“Magnus Cartensen, from Denmark, was second in the junior Tour of Flanders this year, and Linus Larsson is the Swedish junior national road champion. Both riders are promising athletes, and I’m looking forward to seeing them and the rest of the team at our first training camp in January. Jenthe Verstraete looks like a talent for the tougher, hillier classics, and has been setting Strava records left, right and center, and I can see him learning a lot from guys like Colby and Noah. Then we have British star Joshua Golliker who is a proven U23 talent. He’s won some tough races already and we’re here to help him develop that consistency because I don’t know if there’s a ceiling for him right now,” added the new U23 team boss.

Creed also used his years of experience running a US-based cycling program to recruit a promising quintet of riders.

Colby Simmons brings three years of U23 racing experience to the team and enjoyed his best season yet in 2024, having finished second in the prestigious Tour Alsace in France.

Gavin Hlady and Ian López have moved across from Aevolo Cycling, while Noah Streif has successfully graduated from the EF Education-Onto junior team after gaining several standout results on both sides of the Atlantic this year. Hlady is the reigning American U23 road and criterium champion and raced as a stagiaire for our men’s WorldTour team in the second half of 2024. López, meanwhile, shone in several domestic stage races in the US. The final rider on the roster is Kellen Caldwell, a solid climber who picked up several podiums and top-tens in 2024.

“Gavin Hlady and Ian López have come from Aevolo, and Noah has graduated from the junior team but is still going to school in Germany, so we’re going to give him a bit more time over the next 12 months because obviously his education is super important to us and we’re going to fully support him in every way,” Creed said.

“Ian is a super-talented climber with a gravel background who could develop into a very solid climber and Gavin had a great year winning the U23 nationals. He’s got a great runway ahead of him. Kellen Caldwell was a rider we raced against this year in the US and he was scary strong. As he develops his tactical side he’ll become a complete rider,” Creed added.

EF Pro Cycling CEO Jonathan Vaughters believes the creation of the EF Education–Aevolo team will enhance the organization’s overall hopes of discovering new talent and providing young riders with the opportunity to fulfil their WorldTour dreams at the right pace and within the best environment.

“It’s a first-year team and we’ve been opportunistic with our approach but we’re very much looking at the long-term vision,” Vaughters said.

“We have signed 11 riders who have all reached different stages of their careers. Someone like Noah has something of Mark Cavendish about him, especially in terms of his mindset and we’re going to try and develop him into the first pure sprinter we’ve had in this organisation in a long time. Then Colby is a great and respectful kid who will be part of the foundations of the team. He’ll be one of our leadership figures,” Vaughters added.

The prospect of mixing the U23 riders with the WorldTour, and at the same time, allowing pro riders to drop down to the U23 squad for a chance to find form or rehabilitate after injury, like Michael Valgren did in 2023, is another fundamental reason for the inception of the new team.

“That aspect is transformative in the way that you can develop riders. You can pull up a couple of hyper-performing U23 riders to try out what the WorldTour is like and then conversely if you have an injured rider who needs a longer time to come back you can give them a few rides to find their legs again. I think it’s a critical part of the organization, and having the U23 team will be incredibly valuable to us on several fronts. Overall, I’m confident that EF Education–Aevolo will win races in 2025 and help these young riders strive to fulfil their potential,” Vaughters said.

Colby Simmons (21)

Gavin Hlady (21)

Noah Streif (18)

Ian López (21)

Kellen Caldwell (21)

Noah Hobbs (20)

Joshua Golliker (20)

Miguel Ángel Marín (18)

Magnus Carstensen (18)

Linus Larsson (18)

Jenthe Verstraete (18)