Photo Credit: Cor Vos
Team Picnic PostNL are pleased to announce two new additions to their Men’s program for the 2026 campaign in the form of Mattia Gaffuri and Henri-Francois Haquin. Gaffuri is contracted with the team through 2027 while Haquin will wear the two-striped jersey for 2026.
Photo Credit: Swatt Club
Mattia Gaffuri
Hailing from Italy, Gaffuri is a relative late comer to the sport of cycling and is renowned as one of the stronger climbing amateurs on the scene; and you may recognise his name from the Zwift Academy series. In previous years he’s focused mainly on gravel races and some events throughout the year, but in 2025 with his team Swatt Club he has taken on a fuller calendar of racing. This has seen a lot of gravel racing, but also more road racing where he has started to find his feet and work more on the technical skills of racing in the bunch. Showcasing his talents as a climber he finished second and third on GC respectively at the Tour de Beauce and Oberösterreich Rundfahrt – two challenging 2.2 level races. One of the most memorable moments of Gaffuri’s 2025 campaign was finishing fifth at the Italian national championships road race where he helped his teammate to claim the famous tricolore. Towards the end of this year, he’s also took part in some of the Italian one-day races as a stagiaire, with a quietly impressive 15th place at Giro della Toscana and 11th at Trofeo Tessile & Moda – Valdegno Oropa against quality opposition.
Gaffuri said: “What really attracted me to Team Picnic PostNL is the attention to detail and the strong focus on long-term rider development. The team’s scientific approach, from training to equipment, is something I really appreciate — especially because I’ve also worked as a coach myself in recent years. I’m looking forward to gaining experience in bigger races, something I haven’t had many opportunities to do so far. 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. 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. I’m confident that my ability to learn and adapt, plus the support of the team, will help me take big steps in the years ahead.”
Team Picnic PostNL head coach Rudi Kemna added: “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. 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. We see him as a rider who, in a few years, can be 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 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.”
Photo Credit: Cor Vos
Henri-Francois Haquin
Coming from Is-en-Bassigny in France, young 22-year-old Haquin spent his first three years out of the junior ranks with CC Étupes where he honed his skills and race craft, building his endurance after having not raced too much as a junior during the covid pandemic. 2023 saw him race mostly on the competitive and challenging French domestic circuit where he impressed with wins at races such as GP Agglo-Bourg en Bresse and the overall title at Tour de Moselle. A strong rider who can go well over a variety of terrain and has some staying power, 2024 saw him continue where he left off. That meant more good results on the French national circuit, and even a UCI level win at the Tour Alsace, plus a plucky fourth in the French U23 road race. This season gone by saw Haquin step up to Pro level, where he made his first starts in some of the biggest races on the calendar – even making the break at the famous Liège-Bastogne-Liège – and finding his feet in some sprints.
Haquin said: “I’m really excited to be joining Team Picnic PostNL, I think it is the most beautiful opportunity of my career so far. It’s a real chance for me to just give it my best in 2026 and see where I can go. The team has a very professional set-up and I’m looking forward to working with all the staff and the other riders. For now, I see myself as rouleur come puncheur. I have a bit of a sprint on that terrain and I don’t mind a hard day out on the short hills. In this coming year I just want to learn as much as possible and give my all for the team, and hopefully we can achieve some nice results together as a group.”
Team Picnic PostNL head coach Rudi Kemna concluded: “Henri-François was brought to our attention by our coach Melvin, who had seen him impress with the team CC Étupes. Since then, he’s continued to show good performances. When we looked at his data, it confirmed what we already suspected: he’s a real top talent with a huge engine and plenty of room to grow. He’s the kind of rider who can be part of the early breakaway in the spring classics and still be there deep into the finale. At the same time, we don’t rule out the possibility that he could develop into a sprinter. He has the power, and if we can help him master all the finer details — timing, positioning, reading the race — then the potential is there. We’ll make sure he gets opportunities to test himself in sprints too.”
