EF Education-EasyPost announced the signing of 23-year-old French rider Alex Baudin, who raced for the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale for the past two seasons.
Baudin, who began his pro career with the Tudor Pro Cycling team in 2022, ran afoul of the UCI when he tested positive for the painkiller Tramadol after stage 17 of the 2023 Giro d'Italia.
The UCI belatedly disqualified Baudin in July of last year and struck Baudin's mostly minor results, although his 10th place on stage 12 shifted more of the points for the stage finish for six riders.
Baudin's AG2R team reinstated him after "an in-deth examination by the team's ethics committee" since he had not raced since being disqualified.
At the time, the positive was not considered an anti-doping rule violation, although WADA has since placed the drug on the list of prohibited substances in competition.
Since then, Baudin had a breakthrough season in 2024 and accumulated the most points of any rider without a confirmed contract at the close of the season, raking in 963 points.
He finished the season placing third overall in the Tour of Guangxi, won the overall and a stage in the Tour du Limousin, and was second in the Coppa Bernocchi and GP la Marseillaise.
"It is really exciting to join such an international team," Baudin said in the EF Education-EasyPost press release.
"This is something I have always wanted to do and I think this is the right time to do it. It is really important to get out of your comfort zone and get to know new people, new cultures, new everything. That is what I like in life. That's why I wanted to join EF Education-EasyPost. I'm still young, and I'm really, really excited."
There are still 63 WorldTour riders who have not confirmed a team for 2025, with Fernando Gaviria (Movistar) the top scorer with 715 points in 2024. Madis Mihkels (Intermarché-Wanty) is next with 711 points.
