EF Education-EasyPost snatches spring talent Mikhels away from Intermarché-Wanty

"I am super happy with this move, because I think it is the right next step for me to make as a cyclist. EF Education-EasyPost looks like a team with a great environment and atmosphere between the riders and the staff. I'm really looking forward to next season.' In that, the fast rider wants to compete for wins more often. It's not that I just have one race in mind; I want to win next year. I just want to get into a winning mood. I love hard races. I'm never the fastest guy in pure, pure bunch sprints when everybody there is fresh. That's why I love harder racing, where I can go for the sprint in the end."

Team boss Vaughters adds. "At 21, Madis has already gone top ten at Paris-Roubaix and finished third at the European championships," Vaughters says. "He is a proven pro race winner with the strength to go toe-to-toe with the best in the cobbled classics and the sprint to finish the job. He is only going to get better from here. It is going to be fun to see what Madis can do with our team in the coming years."

For Intermarché-Wanty, which allowed Mikhels to make his pro debut, the rider's departure following Mike Teunissen's transfer to the Astana Qazaqstan Team is the second setback for the spring team. EF Education-EasyPost also saw its leader Alberto Bettiol go to the Kazakh team, but with Kasper Asgreen and thus Mikhels, they have managed to get two excellent newcomers for the tougher races in the spring.