Canadian rider Michael Leonard will join EF Education–EasyPost for the 2026 season. The U.S.-based WorldTour team announced the news in a statement Wednesday.
The 21-year-old from Oakville, Ont., and reigning Canadian time trial champion said he’s excited for next year. After three seasons riding in a support role at Ineos – Grenadiers, Leonard said he’s eager to step forward and test himself in harder races.
“This team has a unique identity,” Leonard said in a statement released by EF Education–EasyPost. “Even growing up, watching the sport, it always seemed like a team with an exciting culture—always on the attack, giving riders space to express themselves. It’s a team that really gets the best out of its riders.”
Leonard’s route to the WorldTour began at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre velodrome, where he first raced. After success in Canada’s junior ranks, he moved to Italy to race full-time as a teenager—a move he called “living the dream,” despite the challenges of adapting to a new culture and language.
His strong results as a junior earned him a WorldTour contract at 19 with Ineos – Grenadiers. A broken hip in his second season briefly interrupted his rise, but Leonard said the setback ultimately helped him mature as a rider.
Michael Leonard keeps Basque Country best rider jersey and moves up on GC
“That injury gave me an opportunity to reevaluate my approach,” he said. “By the time I got back to racing, I was better than before.”
In 2024, Leonard took a huge win in the opening time trial at the Tour de l’Avenir. EF founder and CEO Jonathan Vaughters said that performance caught the team’s attention.
“That TT showed he’s got the fundamental, super-high-VO2-max motor,” Vaughters said. “He’s a time trialist who can also climb and is quite handy in a breakaway. I think he can do something big for us.”
Leonard said his goal now is to become a consistent presence in major races.
“I’m not driven by one specific race or number,” he said. “I want to be someone who’s always animating the biggest races—fighting for stages, supporting teammates, and showing myself well.”
He joins two other Canucks in the EF family. On the women’s team, EF Education–Oatly, there are world champion Magdeleine Vallières Mill and Alexandra Volstad. National champion Alison Jackson and Clare Emond are set to leave EF in 2026, heading to the French ProTeam St Michel–Préférence…
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