After three seasons at World Tour level with Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe concluded with several top finishes but zero victories, Emil Herzog has decided to part ways with the team (before joining the professionals, the 2004-born rider from Simmerberg was developed in Team Auto Eder) and go in search of his first successes among the cycling elite wearing the colors of EF Education-Easypost.

The announcement was made by the team of Jonathan Vaughters itself, which, having reluctantly parted ways with Richard Carapaz, chose to continue building its roster for 2027 by entrusting one of its available slots to the 2022 World Junior Champion.

"I like to race offensively and that's also EF's style" Herzog said after signing. "I want to start winning again. That's my main objective: to assert myself once more, throwing myself into breakaways and racing aggressively. I'm not the type who likes to stay in the bunch all the time waiting for the final climb of the day" continued the twenty-two-year-old German.

"Looking at this year's Tour de France, the team appeared really very strong and I want to contribute my part. I'm still young and I think I have certain talent, I proved it in the youth categories, so I believe I'll have more opportunities here. I can't wait to start".

Having definitively switched to two wheels at age 18 after spending a long time on skis, Herzog has no doubts about where his qualities can produce the greatest returns.

"The best races for me are those with a challenging course where you have to push all day because my endurance is quite good" said confidently the winner of the Peace Race and the junior national road title in 2022. "In the youth categories I was more of a sprinter and a classics rider, then I refined my climbing abilities more: demanding one-day races therefore suit me, as do stage races with a difficult climb at the finish. My objective, however, must also be to recover the explosiveness I had a few years ago, because I love attacking and, if I found myself fighting for victory in a small group, I'd like to be able to have my say in the decisive sprint".

To achieve this goal, Herzog will not abandon the multidisciplinary approach he has always cultivated in recent years by trying his hand at MTB outings or, even more recently, at gravel races and training.

"I like not to limit myself to just road racing" explained the German rider. "Don't get me wrong, I love cycling, but for my mind it's easier if I can vary things a bit every now and then. If I can train on a gravel bike and race on dirt occasionally, I feel fresher mentally and I think it benefits me in both disciplines. I hope to be able to participate in some gravel races next year: that would be really fantastic and motivating" concluded the fourth-place finisher at the latest Bretagne Classic.