After years of trying and narrowly missing out on a pro-contract twice at the Zwift Academy finals, Italian rider Mattia Gaffuri has finally earned himself a spot on a WorldTour team, joining Picnic-PostNL on a two-year deal.
The Italian came to cycling relatively late, but quickly made a name for himself in the amateur scene, and has long been recognised for his coaching work and impressive power files, which were part of the reason Picnic-PostNL decided to sign him.
He's most recently been racing in Gravel, but also for the now famous Swatt club in Italy, who managed to win the men's national championships road race ahead of all the WorldTour pros earlier this season through Filippo Conca, who has since also joined the WorldTour with Jayco AlUla.
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Gaffuri made his professional debut after joining Polti-VisitMalta as a stagiaire at the end of August, but will now have to prepare himself for a more significant step up into cycling's top division of racing.
"Mattia’s story is quite a special one. He’s more of a late comer to the elite level from the sport and comes from the gravel scene," said team head coach Rudi Kemna in the team's announcement.
"There, he caught our attention, and from that moment we started following him closely. What we saw was really impressive, with strong performances, even against pros.
"Once we got in contact and looked at his data, that only confirmed what we’d seen; his numbers are outstanding. At the Italian Championships, for example, his teammate went on to win the pro title, and Mattia played a crucial role in making sure the main favourite never came back."
The Italian was part of the final three and four in Zwift Academy's finals in 2023 and 2024, which gave amateur riders the chance to compete for a spot on Alpecin-Deceuninck's development team and potentially make it to the WorldTour.
But, despite his high power numbers, he missed out on the winning spot twice, to Louis Kitzki, who is retiring due to safety concerns in the peloton, and Noah Ramsay, who has just completed his first season with Alpecin.
Now set to leap right into the WorldTour, Gaffuri was upbeat about the future partnership, which should allow him to develop as a pro and utilise the diesel engine and strong power numbers he already knows he possesses.
"I’d describe myself as a climber, more of a diesel type with a strong engine, and I know I still have room to grow when it comes to race craft," said Gaffuri.
"My goal is to become a rider who can target results in smaller stage races, while also being a reliable support for our finishers in the mountains. I’m quite consistent on the bike, and off the bike I’d say I’m a quick learner: once I set my mind to something, I really commit to it."
The team were already targeting the Ardennes Classics as a place he could flourish, but also lining him up as a domestique for the likes of their young leaders Max Poole and Tour de France fourth-place finisher Oscar Onley.
"At the Italian Championships, for example, his teammate went on to win the pro title, and Mattia played a crucial role in making sure the main favourite never came back," added Kemna.
"We see him as a rider who, in a few years, can potentially compete in the finales of the Ardennes Classics, while in the Grand Tours, he’s going to be an important piece of the puzzle for our finishers Max and Oscar. Even at the end of the season, he showed some truly impressive things while riding as a stagiaire, so we’re very happy to have him on board for the next few years."
Also joining Picnic-PostNL's men's squad is 22-year-old French rider Henri-Francois Haquin, who rode for Wagner Bazin WB in 2025. They join British riders James Knox, Oliver Peace and Irishman Dillon Korkery as new signings at Picnic PostNL for 2026.
Picnic-PostNL's women's squad also announced two new signings earlier this week, with Audrey De Keersmaeker and Gaia Masetti joining from Lotto and AG Insurance-Soudal, respectively.
