For the latest film in the EF Pro Cycling Explore Series, presented by Wahoo, we joined the 18-year-old European U23 cyclocross champion at his family home in the mountains of Aosta, as he was preparing for the national championships with his brother Filippo.

The two brothers have been competitors ever since they were little boys, honing their skills, as they raced each other around alpine meadows and up their local cols. Mattia’s dad, Fabio, who is still his cyclocross mechanic, was his first coach. Filippo then coached him. The two boys were constantly playing on bikes, wheelieing, endoing, and bunny hopping around the fields.

All that practice launched Mattia to cycling stardom. As a junior, he dominated races in Italy. Winning became a habit. On the road, he won the GP Liberazione Città di Massa, the Coppa Città di Cantù, and the Trofeo San Rocco. In February 2025, he earned his greatest victory yet, when he won the world junior cyclocross championships in Liévin, France. Mattia soon signed his first professional contract with EF Education-EasyPost.

Moving from the family camper to a WorldTour team bus is going to be a big shift. How will Mattia handle the extra pressure? The media attention? The inevitable ups and downs of racing against the fastest cyclists on the planet?

“The only thing that hasn’t changed is the hunger to win and perform well and get better on the bike,” Mattia said.

Watch “Magos,” the latest film in the EF Pro Cycling Explore Series, presented by Wahoo.