The Japanese rider has spent the last two seasons racing with EF Education-NIPPO Development Team. He is a former U23 time trial national champion. At the 2022 edition of the Tour de Hokkaido, he won the mountains jersey and rode in support of his team leader who won the general classification.

While the 21-year-old is an effective time trialist, he is still developing and feels most at home in the mountains.

“I would say I’m a climber. I like pushing myself to the maximum,” he says.

Today, Yuhi couldn’t imagine his life without cycling but that wasn’t always the case.

“I first watched the Tour de France when I was a junior in high school,” he says. “I thought it was so cool!”

Inspired, he picked up the sport quickly. He raced with his high school and college teams before joining EF Education-NIPPO Development Team.

Signing Yuhi completes the team’s 2024 roster, according to EF Education-EasyPost team CEO Jonathan Vaughters.

“Our 2024 roster is noticeably younger than in recent years. We have several riders making their WorldTour debut with us so Yuhi will fit in nicely. We wanted the last spot on the roster to be a rookie who can take advantage of the experience and knowledge of his veteran teammates and in Yuhi, we’ve found that,” Vaughters says.

Though next year will be Yuhi’s first season with EF Education-EasyPost, he raced with the WorldTour team at the 2022 Tour de Langkawi as a trainee where he supported Hugh Carthy who finished second overall. Looking back on his first race with EF Education-EasyPost, Yuhi says it was an important learning experience for him.

“I learned about nutrition and how I was doing in the race. It was my first time so I was nervous but it was fun and the team’s atmosphere was really good,” he says. “The whole team welcomed me.”

It’s not just Yuhi’s teammates who have supported him.

“My family cried upon hearing the news that I will join EF Education-EasyPost,” he says. “My family has been supporting me since the day I started racing.”

When he’s not on the bike, Yuhi enjoys shopping and catching up with friends over coffee, and also the occasional binge on Netflix. Until recently, you could find him studying in the library of Tokyo’s Chuo University.

“I’m majoring in Japanese law but I’m currently on a leave of absence. I’m completely focused on cycling right now,” he explains.

Yuhi is eager for the 2024 season to get underway.

"Dreams come true! I’m so happy to be riding with such a wonderful team,” he says. “I know that the mission of a WorldTour team is difficult but I will give my best effort!”