EF Education-EasyPost has partnered with the ONTO Junior Racing Team and 16 riders between the ages of 15 and 18 will compete as EF Education-ONTO in 2023. The new organization aims to open up opportunities for North American junior talent on cycling's world stage. [EF Education-EasyPost is proud to announce its support for the ONTO Junior Program. Our partnership will ensure that the most talented young cyclists in North America can pursue success on the WorldTour with a team that cares about their personal development and wellness," the team wrote in a press release issued Monday.

Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of EF Education-EasyPost, founded the current World Tour team at a junior development program sponsored by 5280 magazine in Denver in 2003.

The team was subsequently registered with the UCI in 2005 under sponsor TIAA-Cref, received its pro team license in 2007 under Team Slipstream, and entered the WorldTour in 2009 under Team Garmin-Chipotle, He has supported athletes such as Tejay Van Garderen and Peter Stetina.

"Junior racing is where riders are formed. It's where you learn how to race, how to be a teammate, how to win, and how to make sacrifices. The years of junior racing are the most critical, and we are happy to be back as part of EF Pro Cycling's 20th anniversary," Vaughters wrote on Twitter about his partnership with ONTO.

The EF Education-ONTO roster for 2023 includes Gray Barnett (16), Ashlyn Barry (16), Peyton Burkel (16), CJ Burford (18), Miles De Souza (18), Levi Dykes (18) Enzo Hincapie (15), Ben McConchie (18), and Reilly Oberding (18).

"Talented kids in Ohio, Quebec, and Los Angeles may have seen the Tour de France on Instagram and wanted to become bike racers.

"That's how our team started. We were a junior team first. And ultimately, that's what matters most. We're going to keep an eye on the junior races in North America. If we prove ourselves there, EF Education-ONTO could be our chance to learn what it takes to race professionally and show what we can do against the best in the world."

ONTO is a competition-oriented junior team founded in Greenville, South Carolina in 2014 and supported by donations to Pedalgogy. The junior riders, along with director Rusty Miller, compete in National Championships, Nations Cups, and events around the country.

"Anyone who succeeds in cycling knows a level of hard work, sacrifice, and effort that exceeds that of 99% of the world," Miller said in a press release.

"Any kid who learns that there is no upper limit to athletic ability that will get them to the World Tour will be changed by the experience of learning teamwork, discipline and responsibility. Our riders are world-class because they have learned how to work and how to cooperate with others."