The leap to the pros: These young riders will be competing in the Men’s WorldTour from 2027

​A friend shouting “Go!” from behind. A father on a motorbike. An idol on the telly. None of the young riders set to make the leap to the WorldTour in 2027 have made it this far on their own. Stories about the people behind the leap.

​Three minutes after the start, the race is effectively already over for Milan Donie. Someone has collided with his rear derailleur, so he has to change his bike. The Belgian fights his way to the front, launches an attack, ends up in a group that isn’t working together properly, and simply carries on pedalling. Then he hears his team-mate Jarno Widar shouting from behind: “Milan! Go!” What follows is a 90-kilometre solo ride at the Flèche Ardennaise, one of the toughest U23 classics. At one point, Donie has a lead of two and a half minutes; after the final climb, it’s down to just 40 seconds. It’s only on the final kilometre that he believes he can win. It’s his first UCI victory; Widar finishes second.

The two have known each other for a long time. In 2023, Donie finished third in the Junior Classique des Alpes, behind Paul Seixas and Widar. Seixas has just won the Tour of Lombardy, whilst Widar won the Tre Valli Varesine. Among the junior riders, Donie became a good friend and valuable support rider for Widar. He was actually due to make the step up last winter, but following the merger of Lotto and Intermarché-Wanty, he stayed with the junior team for another year – and, of all seasons, that was the one in which things suddenly stopped going to plan. Now the promotion is finally here: the 21-year-old climber from Kortrijk will ride for Lotto-Intermarché from 2027. This story illustrates something that applies to almost all riders making the step up this year: no one turns professional on their own.

A finger pointing towards the sky: Victor Vaneeckhoutte

Riding in the same team as Donie is a young man about whom hardly anyone has written so far. Victor Vaneeckhoutte is considered the least-written-about of the three Belgians whom Lotto-Intermarché has promoted from its own youth programme. In April, the 20-year-old lost his best friend. Milan Bral, aged 21 and a nephew of Sep Vanmarcke, was hit by a car whilst training in Ronse and died in hospital. He had been preparing for the Gent–Wevelgem race for young riders.

In early August, Vaneeckhoutte won the Hel van het Heuvelland in Dutch Limburg. He broke away from the day’s breakaway group, rode solo for over ten kilometres to the finish and pointed to the sky at the finish line, in honour of Milan. He did not want to discuss his future after the race. Shortly afterwards, it became clear that he would be riding for WorldTeam in 2027 and 2028.

Five in one go for the WorldTour

It is no coincidence that no fewer than five riders from this year’s cohort have joined Lotto-Intermarché. Alongside Donie and Vaneeckhoutte, Kamiel Eeman – who won the U23 Peace Race – and the Norwegian Halvor Dolven are also joining the team. The most intriguing case, however, is the youngest.

Brandon Fedrizzi from Bolzano won 23 races as a U17 rider in 2024 – more than any other rider in Italy has managed in the last 15 years. In April 2026, Lotto signed him to a long-term contract at the age of 17. The plan was clear: two years in the development team, then the WorldTour from 2029. But Fedrizzi rendered the plan unnecessary. He won the Junior E3, secured stage victories in three Nations Cup races and finished seventh at the World Championships in Montréal and fourth at the European Championships. Following a number of departures from the professional team, his path changed: the 18-year-old is turning professional straight away.

Managing Director Jean-François Bourlart describes this above all as a sign of trust, whilst emphasising that they do not wish to rush things. Fedrizzi himself echoes this sentiment: he knows he still has a great deal to learn.

The father on the motorbike: Seth Dunwoody

Seth Dunwoody took up cycling because he used to ride behind his father at Irish amateur races. Today, the two have swapped roles. The son rides for the junior squad of a WorldTour team, and his father has bought a motorbike so that his son can train behind it on the roads of County Armagh. The Northern Irishman didn’t want to move to sunny Girona, where many professionals spend the winter. The winters back home toughened him up, he says.

The 1.91-metre-tall all-rounder has been part of the Bahrain system since the age of 16: first in the junior team, then in the development team, and from 2027 in the WorldTeam. In 2026, he became Irish Elite Road Champion and European U23 Champion in the points race on the track. He also finished second in both the Paris–Roubaix Espoirs and the Kattekoers. He says that Belgian races with cold starts are right up his street. He sets out his goal in no uncertain terms: simply to win races.

0.38 seconds: Kristian Egholm and Mads Landbo

At the Danish Time Trial Championships in Herning in June, Kristian Egholm set an early fastest time of 33:20 minutes. The Lidl-Trek Future Racing rider then had to watch as the big names in Danish cycling crossed the finish line one after the other. Mikkel Bjerg came closest, finishing 0.38 seconds slower, whilst Mads Pedersen could only manage seventh place. However, the fact that Egholm is subsequently moving to Uno-X Mobility whilst wearing the champion’s jersey has nothing to do with the title. The contract had already been signed. Uno-X manager Thor Hushovd makes it clear that they did not sign him because of the championship.

At the U23 World Championships in Montréal, Egholm finished sixth. One place ahead of him was Mads Landbo, also Danish, also a time trialist, and also from Zealand. After the first split time, the pair were still in second and fourth place, but they lost out on medals on the final climb. From 2027, Landbo will ride for Movistar and Egholm for Uno-X. Both contracts with WorldTour teams run until 2029.

Despite a setback on the WorldTour

Davide Stella’s 2026 season began with a serious crash at the AlUla Tour, where he was riding for the UAE WorldTeam. It wasn’t until April that he was back in action, winning a stage at the U23 Tour of Portugal before going on to have a disappointing Giro Next Gen. Nevertheless, UAE has promoted the 20-year-old sprinter – who has won several junior and U23 titles at World and European Championships on the track – to the WorldTeam on a three-year contract. Stella speaks of a childhood dream and a tough season. Team manager Mauro Gianetti has promised him a programme with little pressure for 2027.

Television heroes: Scalco, De la Calle and Crescioli

Matteo Scalco, from Sandrigo near Vicenza, took his first steps in cycling whilst watching Vincenzo Nibali’s victories for Astana on television. After three years in the Bardiani youth programme and one season with Astana’s development team, the 22-year-old climber will be riding for that very team from 2027.

It’s a similar story for Hugo de la Calle. The Asturian says that his promotion to the WorldTour fulfils a dream he’s had ever since he first got on a bike at the age of five. He will now wear the jersey of the team he has watched on television all his life and for which his idol, Alejandro Valverde, rode. As Spanish U23 champion and a Vuelta debutant at the age of 21, he is moving from ProTeam Burgos to Movistar.

When he was 13, Ludovico Crescioli wrote “I love cycling” in his WhatsApp status, and that hasn’t changed to this day. His father used to ride at amateur level, and his brother still does. The Tuscan took a detour via the ProTeam Polti VisitMalta, where he won his first professional race, the Giro dell’Appennino, and rode his first Giro d’Italia. From 2027, he’ll be climbing for Groupama-FDJ.

On their own in the WorldTour

January marks the start of their first year as professionals. The people who have supported them up to this point will then be left by the wayside. In the WorldTour, it’s rare for anyone to shout ‘Go!’ after you. If you want to make your mark there, you have to recognise the right moment yourself.