EF Education-EasyPost has announced the arrival of Markel Beloki, who is only 18 years old. The Spanish junior time trial champion is the son of former professional cyclist Joseba Beloki, who stood on the Tour de France podium three times in 2000, 2001, and 2002.
“My goal is to improve,” says Beloki Junior in a press statement through the team’s social media. “I know I’m young, very young to be part of the WorldTour. But with this team, I can take my time to develop gradually. I start every day with the idea of getting better and working as a team.
Cycling at Home
“For me, it’s a big advantage to learn about the sport at home,” says Markel, who explains that he managed to beat his father for the first time three years ago (Markel was 15) on Zaldiarian, a climb in the Basque Country. “Zaldiaran isn’t a super difficult climb, but it’s the most famous climb in Vitoria and one of my favorites. I saw that he was starting to suffer more and more. But that’s normal. I’m young and train more than he does.”
First Cyclist to Go from Junior Straight to the World Tour
Jonathan Vaughters, manager of the EF Education-EasyPost team, is impressed with Beloki. “Markel has proven to be dominant among juniors in Spanish races. He has set record times on climbs throughout the Basque Country, beating the times of many cyclists who have done impressive things in the Grand Tours. He’s a big, strong boy, not a fragile climber.”
“He has clearly inherited the qualities that his father had as a rider, and maybe even more. This is the first time we’ve allowed a junior to transfer directly to the WorldTour. We believe Markel has an incredible future ahead.”