Matthias has emerged as one of the most highly tipped and exciting U23 riders this season, securing victory in several prestigious races and attracting the interest of various WorldTour teams. We are delighted to announce that Matthias has signed with us and will join our elite men’s team next season.

The versatile athlete from Brezno in central Slovakia switched to cycling after initially competing in biathlon, but quickly developed a passion for road racing from a young age after watching Slovakia’s top star on the international stage.

“I actually began in biathlon, but then I started following cycling because of Peter Sagan and started going to races. I was cycling more and more, and it really just went from there. I must have been about 12 or 13 when I started,” Matthias told us.

The last few seasons have seen Matthias progress through the junior and U23 ranks, but 2025 was unquestionably a breakthrough season for our new recruit. He finished sixth in the U23 version of Paris-Roubaix before winning the opening stage of the Giro d'Italia Next Gen. That victory against the clock was the most significant moment of Matthias’s emerging career, and more success followed with a win in the elite men’s time trial at the national championships, where Slovakian and Czech riders competed over the same course. That victory came against WorldTour-level riders and confirmed what was already a remarkable season.

“Until this year, I would have described myself as a punchy rider, and maybe even someone with a strong sprint, but this season I’ve performed well in the time trials, too. That’s been a bit of a surprise for me, but I still think that I can perform on various terrains. The entire season has been a welcome surprise for me, particularly in terms of my development. I didn’t expect such a good year, considering I was sick a lot last year. I was hoping for some good results this year, but I wasn’t expecting to make such a big step,” he said.

“For me, the highlight of the year was my Giro stage win. I went into that race with good form, but I’d not done any big trials all season. I’d done a few prologues, but that was it. I knew that I could do well, but I never had it in my mind that I could beat some of the best time trialists in the U23 peloton. It was an amazing win, and one that gave me huge confidence,” Matthias added.

Matthias’s first face-to-face meeting with his new teammates will take place later in the off-season at EF Education-EasyPost’s training camp. This will be a chance for Matthias to settle into his new environment, get to know everyone on the team from riders to staff, and, of course, set some goals for an exciting year ahead. He’s eager to begin a new chapter in his career and to connect with a team he has admired for some time.

“When it came to joining the team, I was drawn to EF Education-EasyPost's style and how they present themselves on social media. The jersey looks cool, and the videos look really great. That made a really good first impression for me, and from there, I had a really good conversation with Jonathan Vaughters about my development and how, in the future, I could target races like Paris-Roubaix. I don’t know anyone on the team yet, but I’m really looking forward to joining my new teammates,” he said.

“I think that next year is going to be a bit like a big school year for me. I’ll need to learn and adapt to the WorldTour. I’ve done some big races already, but tackling a whole calendar like that will be a different story. It’s going to be a big year of learning and developing as a rider,” Matthias said.

EF Pro Cycling CEO Jonathan Vaughters is excited to bring Matthias into the fold next season, having watched him evolve over the last couple of seasons.

“Matthias can really impress in those short time trials, but he’s also a super versatile rider. He’s extremely strong on the flats and is a very effective sprinter, and he was already on my radar before he won at the Giro this year. The result in the national time trial championships was outstanding, and he beat some top-level WorldTour riders. He was also sixth in U23 Paris-Roubaix despite some serious bad luck, so I can see him as being both an invaluable lead-out rider, an incredible time trialist, but also having this dream of competing in those Paris-Roubaix or Gent-Wevelgem style of races. That’s not going to happen immediately, of course, but he’s got that short five-minute power that’s irreplaceable,” Vaughters said.

We’re looking forward to meeting you at team camp, and we can’t wait to see you shine on the road next season, Matthias.