EF Pro Cycling signs Fumiyuki Beppu

EF Pro Cycling announced on Tuesday the signing of 37-year-old Fumiyuki Beppu from the Nippo Delko One Provence team.

"I am excited for this opportunity to contribute to EF Pro Cycling in 2021," Beppu said in a press release. "My impression of the team is that it is a professional cycling team that is unique and always has gorgeous cycling kits and bicycles. The team does great at the Classics and at the GrandTours and the teamwork is always solid. I am excited to ride with them as a team."

The Japanese rider, aside from three seasons in the Pro Continental ranks, has been on WorldTour teams since turning pro in 2005 with the Discovery Channel team. He spent three years on Johan Bruyneel's squad until the team folded and he moved to Skil-Shimano. He reunited with Bruyneel at RadioShack for two years before moving on to Orica-GreenEdge and then back to Trek-Segafredo, where he has raced for six years.

The five-time Japanese national champion lives in the Ain department in France and trains regularly in the Jura mountains for a versatile calendar of races. 

"I am highly motivated, which is probably my best asset as a rider," Beppu said. "Having experiences in many different types of races such as Grand Tours or Monuments is also a strength that has allowed me to keep being successful so far."

He will join compatriot Hideto Nakane in moving across to the WorldTour squad from Nippo-Delko One Provence.

The American squad have been heavily linked with Nippo as a future co-sponsor. The Japanese company will also support a developmental Continental team, Nippo-Provence-PTS, after cutting ties with the Delko One Provence squad, which faced several complaints of unpaid wages during the 2020 season, with the UCI initiating bank guarantee proceedings.