The 22-year-old from Santa Rosa, California, packs a fast sprint and all of the toughness of a seasoned classics racer. Going into his third year in the WorldTour, he already has six wins to his name, including a stage victory this summer at the Czech Tour. Luke has podiumed in Belgian one-day races like Danilith Nokere Koers and the Bredene Koksijde Classic and dreams of winning monuments in his new EF Education-EasyPost jersey.

“I am really excited to join the team,” Luke says. “I already know quite a lot of the guys and am looking forward to joining a nice group and seeing what the next years bring. It feels like I am coming home. It’s an American team. Obviously, cycling isn't massive in the US, so it is pretty special to be able to join an American WorldTour team as an American rider.”

Luke raced motocross bikes before he switched to pedal power. As a kid, he started cycling to get stronger for dirt bike races and was thrilled by the freedom he discovered exploring his home roads.

“Where I grew up, in Sonoma County, there is just amazing riding,” Luke says. “I fell in love with riding there, being out and always striving to be better. Having goals drove me forward. It went quite fast, and I ended up where I'm at now.”

Luke’s motocross skills, determination, and strength lead him to the front of the USA’s most competitive youth races. He was soon competing for one of the top junior teams in the country and traveling to Europe to race with the American national team. Results like his top 10 at Paris-Roubaix Juniors earned him a spot on Trinity Racing, where he rode with EF Education-EasyPost teammates Ben Healy, Max Walker, and Lukas Nerurkar.

“That was when I moved to Europe full-time and committed completely to living like a pro,” Luke says. “I was not a pro yet, but we were doing a full European race calendar. After those three years at Trinity, I turned pro, and the transition went fairly smoothly. From my first races, I already felt pretty comfortable. I had some good results my first year, as well as some setbacks, but it was a pretty good transition. I have really enjoyed the last two years.”

Luke wants to keep his momentum rolling with EF Education-EasyPost. He is the kind of rider who can go for results on a wide range of terrain, from hilly, windy spring classics to summer stage races.

“Luke is a great sprinter and a great classics rider who knows how to do a lead out,” says EF Pro Cycling founder and CEO Jonathan Vaughters. “He is a real leader, especially for a guy who is as young as he is. He can already be a road captain, even though he is 22 years old. He has a great ability to lead a group of people on the road, and he knows how to read race tactics incredibly well. He's going to be one of our go-to classics guys in the cobbled races. And he is going to be a sprinter that we use quite a bit. I also think he's going to be a great mentor for Noah Hobbs, our superstar U23 sprinter that we're bringing on. Doing a grand tour this year along with a heavy schedule like Luke did should set him up for success this coming year. I could see him winning a race like Gent Wevelgem. If you really want to dream: Milano-Sanremo. Luke is good in highly technical, highly tactical races.”

Luke sees himself developing in the same direction.

“I would say I'm a sprinter, but not a pure sprinter,” Luke says. “I am more of a punchy sprinter who can do well in the classics and then sprints, where there are fewer guys. There are races like Sanremo, where I would really like to do well. Grand tour stages are also something I'd like to go for more in the future.”

Luke’s favorite races will always be the classics, though. He comes into his own on windswept cobbles and can’t wait to smash it up Belgium’s bergs with our classics squad alongside fellow Americans, Neilson Powless and Colby Simmons.

“I love the thrill from the start to the finish of the classics,” he says. “No matter if it's 200 kilometers to go or two kilometers to go, you always have excitement. I really like the full day of excitement and full gas racing and positioning for the cobbled climbs. The fans and cycling culture in Belgium are also super nice.”

Luke knows that to achieve his bike racing dreams, he needs to focus on the process. With our team, he is confident that he will have all of the support he needs to compete with the very best.

“I want to get the best out of myself throughout my career,” Luke says. “I want to perform in the best races in the world. For me, it is about continuing to step up until I am going for results in the biggest races.”

Joining EF Education-EasyPost is a great step in that direction, Luke. Welcome to the team!