Cyclist
Rating every men’s WorldTour team’s transfer window
The transfer market is closing up shop as the final riders pen their contracts for the upcoming 2025 pro cycling season. Teams are reaching their limit of 30 riders and the deadline to get transfers confirmed is fast approaching.
This year’s transfer market has been underpinned by some big GC switch-ups, snapped-up young talents and thrifty UCI points scorers. The biggest names to be on the move this year include Vuelta podium finisher Ben O’Connor, former Vuelta winner Simon Yates and former Tour of Flanders champion Alberto Bettiol. With the end of the current UCI promotion and relegation cycle in sight next year, this transfer window offers one last chance to sign riders and help secure a WorldTour licence for the following three years.
Today, we will run through the transfer peaks and troughs for every men’s WorldTour team, picking out our winners and losers, and we’ll also shine a light on our unofficial champions of the 2024/2025 transfer window.
Alpecin-Deceuninck
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Headed by powerhouses Jasper Philipsen and Mathieu van der Poel – both of whom made our top ten riders of the 2020s – Alpecin-Deceuninck have made some reinforcements with these two riders’ strengths in mind. This wasn’t without a little turbulence. Philipsen was embroiled in a little transfer saga earlier this year. He was previously linked to UAE Team Emirates, but Alpecin secured his contract through to 2028.
Tibor Del Grosso will be promoted from the Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team. The young Dutchman has particular strength in cyclocross: he’s the reigning under-23 World Champion and World Cup title holder. On the road, he’s also taken a stage of his own at the Oberösterreich Rundfahrt. Gal Glivar is another notable addition. The Slovenian has shown great promise at the youth and under-23 levels, having won the Orlen Nations Grand Prix last year.
The Belgian squad will see some major names leave during the winter though. Søren Kragh Andersen has played a leading role in the Classics. It was the Dane who set up Van der Poel’s big attack for glory at the 2023 Milan-San Remo. That same year, Kragh Andersen took his first WorldTour one-day race at Eschborn-Frankfurt. To add to their losses, Axel Laurance will be moving to Ineos Grenadiers. The Frenchman is a versatile sprinter/Classics rider who previously won the under-23 World Championships in 2023 and has shown great promise over the past couple of years.
Star signing: Tibor Del Grosso
Transfer rating: 4/10
Arkéa-B&B Hotels
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Arkéa-B&B Hotels are in real jeopardy of being relegated from the WorldTour at the end of 2025. Their current points trajectory points towards this fate, and they’ve lacked the lifeboat signings to save themselves. Currently, ten riders will be off the team’s books while five riders will be stepping onto the team, all from their in-house development programme.
Some financial trouble has been reported at the Breton team and, as a result, a chunk of their big names will be leaving at the end of 2024. Notably, three core sprinters will be parting ways with Arkéa: David Dekker, Vincenzo Albanese and Dan McLay. This will hamper the squad’s chances of scoring WorldTour points in sprints and flat French Classics, a core lifeline for Arkéa. After joining the team on the back of his Vuelta stage victory in 2021, Clément Champoussin will be on his way out of the team as well. There were also murmurs that Kévin Vauquelin might be on the move, however, no transfer has been confirmed yet.
As for the incomers, five young riders will be making their way up onto the senior team. Embret Svestad-Bårdseng is the brightest among these names. The 22-year-old Norwegian finished inside the top five overall at the Alpes Isère Tour and the under-23 version of Il Lombardia. That said, I don’t think the riders coming in will help change the inevitability of relegation from the WorldTour.
Star signing: Embret Svestad-Bårdseng
Transfer rating: 3/10
Astana Qazaqstan
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Astana-Qazaqstan will undergo a major makeover in 2025. The Kazakh squad will become XDS-CarbonTech after a new sponsorship deal with a Chinese carbon fibre company.
Twelve riders will move to the team next year, making Astana one of the most active in this year’s transfer window. Like Arkéa, relegation is a serious threat at the end of 2025. However, Astana have made some key signings to help score a much healthier haul of UCI points over the next twelve months.
Despite the team’s new Chinese identity, the Italian core of the squad continues with the signing of Diego Ulissi, Fausto Masanda, Alberto Bettiol and Nicola Conci. These arrivals will particularly help bolster Astana’s roster in the hills. Ulissi and Bettiol, specifically, should help to rake in some serious UCI points, if not wins. Elsewhere, Wout Poels and Mike Teunissen are two former Tour de France stage winners with years of experience in the WorldTour. Adding more top-level artillery, Sergio Higuita and Clément Champoussin reinforce the squad’s roster, providing some real punch in the hills.
In addition to the twelve riders, Astana have reinforced their staff roster. There’s a new British contingent courtesy of Pete Kennaugh and Alex Dowsett. Mark Cavendish is reported to be accepting a managerial role too. The team have confirmed the support of another former rider, Dario Cataldo.
Departures from the team include two big retirees in Cavendish and Michael Mørkøv. Five Kazakh riders have uncertain futures outside of the team, plus Alexey Lutsenko has ended his long-term partnership with the team to go to Israel-Premier Tech.
Out of all the teams on this list, Astana have been the most cunning with their signings. Their fortunes are probably the most likely to change, at least for the positive. It’s probably not enough to secure a WorldTour licence, but the inclusion of these experienced WorldTour riders will help to steady the ship.
Star signing: Diego Ulissi
Transfer rating: 9/10
Bahrain Victorious
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Bahrain Victorious suffered their worst season to date in 2024. With no Grand Tour stage wins and only two top ten finishes, Bahrain have struggled to score big wins this year. In response, they have recruited one of the most exciting young riders on the WorldTour, Lenny Martinez. The 21-year-old was one of the first riders to be linked with a transfer earlier this year. His reported contract is significantly larger than his former deal at Groupama-FDJ, but now he’ll have the chance to lead a Grand Tour team for the first time in his career. The French climber will most likely anchor the team’s Grand Tour hopes alongside Antonio Tiberi and Santiago Buitrago.
Furthermore, Bahrain have brought five reinforcements from their development team. The most promising are sprinter Daniel Skerl and Classics rider Max van der Meulen. Vlad van Mechelen is another young rider making the move across to Bahrain. He’ll join from DSM-Firmenich-PostNL’s development squad, but he’s already spent half of the year racing on behalf of Bahrain Victorious in second-tier races.
Wout Poels and Johan Price-Pejtersen are parting ways with the team, on the other hand. Poels will be a big loss in the mountains, but the additition of Martinez levels it out. Now outside of the French loop, Martinez will hope to replicate the success of Romain Bardet who similarly escaped a French team and the pressure that comes with it.
Star signing: Lenny Martinez
Transfer rating: 4/10
Cofidis
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Is it a coincidence that the teams in threat of relegation are at the start of the alphabet?
Well, Cofidis are also in grave danger. After another year of lacklustre results and a 2023 transfer window marked by a couple of key departures, it’s crunch time for the French team.
Movistar exile Alex Aranburu could prove to be a huge points magnet over the next season. The Spanish rider is a hardy sprinter capable of sweeping podiums across the Coupe de France. This was integral to the squad’s survival during the last relegation cycle.
Emanuel Buchmann has been recruited as a new GC leader, expected to fill the slot opened up by the departing Guillaume Martin. The German is a reliable force in the mountains, often on the sideline since Bora-Hansgrohe bulked up their roster in 2022. Two-time Tour stage winner and Flèche Wallonne champion Dylan Teuns is also capable of raking in UCI points. Likewise, Simon Carr’s breakaway exploits could yield Cofidis a rare chance to win stages at the top tier of professional cycling.
The newcomers look promising. They’ve got strong track records and appear rather cost-effective when it comes to UCI points scoring. That said, the departures of the Martin and new Visma recruit Alex Zingle will be heavy blows. Zingle was a prolific rider on the French domestic level, scoring the largest UCI points tally at Cofidis this year.
Star signing: Alex Aranburu
Transfer rating: 7/10
Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
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Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale enjoyed their best season in years in 2024. The French team changed names and subsequently changed fortunes. They made a Grand Tour podium, won stages at a heap of WorldTour races and appeared at the forefront during the Classics. These performances were rewarded with a sixth place finish in the UCI team ranking. Despite the big year, the team has some notable departures as well as some fresh faces attracted by the new-found momentum.
Stefan Bissegger is the biggest name secured by Decathlon-AG2R during this transfer window. However, it’s the younger names that are catching more attention.
Much is expected of new signing Johannes Staune-Mittet. The young Norwegian won the Giro Next Gen in 2023 and has shown great promise on the under-23 level, particularly in GC. Staune-Mittet is about to turn 23, so the next year will likely be crucial in his development. Like many teams already mentioned, Decathlon have promoted some development talents onto their WorldTour team. Danish road champion Rasmus Søjberg Pedersen is among these names, as is superstar teenager Paul Seixas. The Lyonnais rider is just 18, but he has already captured the imagination of French cycling fans. He followed this promise with a junior World Championship TT win just two months ago.
On the other hand, some of the team’s brightest sparks over the past twelve months will be leaving the squad. Ben O’Connor, the team’s former leader is off to Jayco-AlUla, while Alex Baudin is out the door to EF. Another big loss, Giro stage winner Valentin Paret-Peintre is heading to Soudal-QuickStep, leaving his brother behind. With these guys gone, it’s hard to imagine that the team can break into the top five of the UCI rankings next year.
Star signing: Johannes Staune-Mittet
Transfer rating: 5/10
EF Education-EasyPost
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EF Eductation-EasyPost waited until the autumn to unveil any transfer news. However, when the announcements came through, it appeared that the American squad have made a solid collection of recruitments, albeit a rather eclectic mix.
Leading the charge in the Classics, Kasper Asgreen will wear pink next year. Madis Mihkels, a bronze medalist at the recent European Championships, will join the team as well. The Estonian is a strong sprinter who can make it over cobblestones. Paired up with former Tour of Flanders champion Asgreen, the two could be quite a productive double-act.
Vincenzo Albanese and Samuele Battistella provide two Italian cards to play in the hills while Max Walker will make his step up to the WorldTour level with EF. The young Manxman has turned heads since joining Astana’s development team over a year ago and scored some solid results at Asian races. Walker will join a growing British and Irish contingent at Jonathan Vaughters’ project.
As for those leaving the team, three Latin American riders look to be on their way out. Rigoberto Urán and Andrey Amador have hung their cleats up, while the contract of Esteban Chaves appears undecided. The biggest loss, however, will be Alberto Bettiol. The Tuscan rider was a key player in the Classics, securing some of the team’s biggest one-day results in recent years.
Star signing: Kasper Asgreen
Transfer rating: 6/10
Groupama-FDJ
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Secure in their WorldTour status, Groupama-FDJ have wrangled one star signing this year in the form of Guillaume Martin. The Norman will co-lead the French team next year, replacing the departing Lenny Martinez and the hole left by Thibaut Pinot after his retirement at the end of 2023. The French philosopher-cum-athlete feels like a natural fit for Marc Madiot’s squad.
After a tumultuous year at Movistar, Rémi Cavagna has joined Groupama-FDJ ready to revive a role as a key rouleur. Tom Donnenwirth, the third placed finisher overall at the Tour of Britain, will also bring some fresh blood into the squad.
They have haemorraged some key talent, however. We’ve already spoken about Lenny Martinez, but star of the spring Laurence Pithie is also headed elsewhere. Despite staying with the team through his development and establishing pro years, Pithie will leave a big space in the squad’s Classics lineup.
The needle hasn’t really moved in any direction, to be honest. Groupama-FDJ look destined for another season spent in the mid-table of the UCI rankings. They’re the Everton of pro cycling.
Star signing: Guillaume Martin
Transfer rating: 4/10
Ineos Grenadiers
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It’s no secret that Ineos Grenadiers have had a rather turbulent twelve months. The team have been subject to a number of high-profile staff departures, notably Dan Bigham and Steve Cummings. Elsewhere, the squad have missed out on some crucial transfers this season. Additionally, Tom Pidcock’s contract was up in the air towards the end of the season following his Il Lombardia deselection.
Nevertheless, they’ve scrambled together to get some names in for 2025. Coincidentally, Ineos have followed a micronations theme in their transfer hunt. Bob Jungels of Luxembourg is joning for the next two seasons. Jungels is a typical Ineos rider, but I can’t help but think that his best days are behind him. Monegasque rider Victor Langelotti will be the first rider from the principality to make it onto the WorldTour. The 29-year-old climber is a bit of a rogue signing after a couple of mild years at Burgos-BH, leaving plenty of people stratching their heads at the news. Nevertheless, the two add some support in the mountains for Carlos Rodríguez in his quest for a Grand Tour podium.
Axel Laurance adds a sprinter to Ineos’s arsenal. The team haven’t had many in the past, but Laurance seems confident about his chances at the team known more for GC success. The young Frenchman could score some decent results in the Classics, however I’m sceptical he has the right team support around to help in sprint finales. Perhaps fellow new recruit Sam Watson could be a part of that wing of the team.
When it comes to riders exiting the British team, Ethan Hayter and Jhonathan Narváez have secured contracts at rival outfits. Concerning the other departures, Leo Hayter is taking a break from pro cycling, Elia Viviani and Cameron Wurf haven’t secured contracts, with Viviani stating that he still wants to race one more year. Overall, though, It feels as though Ineos are losing more than they’re gaining.
Star signing: Bob Jungels
Transfer rating: 4/10
Intermarché-Wanty
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One of the highest-earning teams from the 2024 Tour de France, Intermarché have been surprisingly quiet this transfer season. There are no headline moves into the team for 2025, but they’ve attracted a crop of rouleurs for their sprinting and Classics line-up.
I’m particularly excited to see what Alexander Kamp can bring to the Belgian team. He has yo-yoed between the second and first divisions of cycling, but he has plenty of experience and talent in the sprints. Likewise, Jonas Rutsch has gained some expertise in the Classics and breakaways whilst his previous squad EF. The German could be a useful cog in Biniam Girmay and Gerben Thijssen’s leadout trains.
There’s one youngster to look out for here: Huub Artz. The Belgian will be moving up from the squad’s development programme after a season spent dominating the under-23 cobbles scene. A winner of the under-23 European Championships on the road as well as Gent-Wevelgem, Artz is a rider to keep your eye out for. He also won a tough summit finish at the Giro Next Gen, so he might be hardier than we think.
Some core names are being lost though. Mike Teunissen has been a pivotal figure in Girmay’s leadout, so he’ll be a big loss. Likewise, the experience of Rein Taaramäe will leave big shoes to fill. The team’s long-term project Madis Mihkels also sees another Estonian go out of the door. On top of this, Lilian Calmejane and Boy van Poppel have retired.
On the whole, though, it feels like Intermarché are making some small improvements. The once mix and match team is finding a niche on flatter profiles – hardening the support for their existing stars.
Star signing: Alexander Kamp
Transfer rating: 4/10
Lidl-Trek
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Lidl-Trek signed some heavy hitters last year. Namely, Jonathan Milan and Tao Geoghegan Hart. After that busy transfer season, they’ve been more low-key this year. Only four riders will join for 2025, however that small number is deceiving – the incoming riders are filled with promise and experience.
Lennard Kämna was out of action for most of 2024. That said, he has shown his breakaway expertise enough during his time at Bora-Hansgrohe with a total of three stage victories since the beginning of the decade. In a similar vein, Søren Kragh Andersen will bring his Classics experience to the squad. He will, no doubt, help countryman Mads Pedersen in the spring Classics. With this talent on board, the team could further their ambitions of Grand Tour stage glory and Classics success with former World champ Pedersen.
Albert Philipsen’s long-awaited arrival onto the WorldTour is expected next year. The Dane was the junior World Champion on the road back in 2023 and has won similar world titles in cyclocross and mountain biking. His contract was sealed in 2023 after a fierce transfer battle and his trajectory might be similar to that of teammate Thibau Nys. The reigning under-23 Paris-Roubaix champion Tim Torn Teutenberg brings some encouragement as well. These young names should reinforce the team’s Classics setup.
Lidl-Trek have brought in more talent than they’re losing. Dario Cataldo, Fabio Felline and Natnael Tesfatsion are out the door, but the two Italians have been approaching retirement anyway. By securing Philipsen and Teutenberg, they have shackled up two of the hottest talents at the under-23 level.
Star signing: Søren Kragh Andersen
Transfer rating: 7/10
Movistar
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Movistar won the heated race for Pabo Castrillo’s contract. The two-time stage winner at this year’s Vuelta adds some climbing power and perhaps a future GC project to the Spanish outfit. That said, I’m not convinced he’ll be able to replicate that success at Movistar. They’ve got a poor conversion rate when it comes to signing breakout stars.
Elsewhere, Venezuelan rider Orluis Aular adds a sprinter to the roster. The Caja Rural recruit won the Cro Race last year and came close to a stage victory at the Vuelta that season. Sticking in South America, young Colombian Diego Pescador will bring some youthful energy into the Spanish team. He recently finished inside the top ten at the Tour de l’Avenir.
Two big Classics names are leaving Movistar though. Alex Aranburu and Oier Lazkano have been of good use to the team, particularly in terms of UCI points. Rémi Cavagna and Johan Jacobs are also out of the door. They follow in the footsteps previous youth sensation Iván Sosa who has also departed.
It’s a typical Movistar transfer window: a heap of Spanish-speaking riders and one headline Iberian name. Oh, don’t forget, they have renewed Nairo Quintana’s contract for another year. I can’t see Movistar getting an uptick in victories next year.
Star signing: Pablo Castrillo
Transfer rating: 3/10
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
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It’s only been a couple of months since Ralph Denk’s squad became Red Bull’s new cycling venture. This year marks the first transfer cycle under the Red Bull name, however, there have been some conflicting reports as to whether their finance has kicked in or not.
A few big riders are leaving this winter, with Sergio Higuita, Emanuel Buchmann, Marco Haller, Bob Jungels, Maximilian Schachmann and Lennard Kämna the most notable departures. None of them are necessarily headliners, but they’ve all played a big part in Grand Tour squads and have achieved their own success at some point at the team.
Unsurprisingly though, the squad has been reinforced by a ring of prosperous young recruits. After another impressive season, Oier Lazkano will swap Movistar turquoise for Red Bull navy next year. He’ll be joined by another recent Classics star in Laurence Pithie. Alongside these two signings, the Van Dijke twins will add another pair of Classics engines to the squad. Keeping with young talent, Finn Fisher-Black and Giulio Pelizzari arm the team with two aspiring GC talents.
From the younger guns to the more experienced riders, Jan Tratnik and Gianni Moscon will move across from rival superteams Visma and QuickStep. This neatly rounds up a fruitful transfer window for the German team. They’ve hardened their Classics squad, but they still miss a race-winning one-day racer – in the sense of big Monuments that is. The climbers and domestiques brought on board do strengthen the team’s Grand Tour ambitions though, particularly with the return of the Tratnik-Roglič link-up.
Star signing: Laurence Pithie
Transfer ranking: 8/10
Soudal-QuickStep
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After a couple of seasons spent building up a squad of climbers to support Remco Evenepoel, Soudal-QuickStep have brought in a variety of riders for 2025. It’s classic QuickStep.
Maximilian Schachmann will return to the team after leaving at the end of 2018. Upon returning, he’ll slot right into Evenepoel’s Tour squad, putting his climbing and rouleur skills to good use. Maybe more valuable in the mountains, Valentin Paret-Peintre will provide another domestique for Evenepoel. In helping O’Connor to fourth place at the Giro, Paret-Peintre showed great promise as a domestique on top of his old-school climber characteristics.
Ethan Hayter, Pascal Eenkhoorn and Dries Van Gestel furnish another three engines into QuickStep’s one-day contingent. Van Gestel is the rider I’m most intrigued about. He showed some real glimpses of hope during his time at TotalEnergies, culminating in a podium finish at Gent-Wevelgem in 2022. Soudal-QuickStep have often helped to bring out the best in Classics riders, but they have lost their shine in the one-day races lately.
QuickStep are losing some stars this winter, namely Julian Alaphilippe. He’ll be heading off to Tudor Pro Cycling after a long stint at Patrick Lefevere’s squad. His buddy Kasper Asgreen is also ending his six-year stint with the team. Two climbers brought to help Evenepoel are also on the way out in the form of Jan Hirt and Fausto Masnada. Despite the influx, the vacuum of riders leaving is quite considerable.
Star signing: Valentin Paret-Peintre
Transfer rating: 5/10
Team DSM-Firmenich-PostNL
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It’s been an easy year for DSM’s contract negotiators. Despite being relatively close to the dropzone, the Dutch squad have only made two signings. Neither of these riders come from the WorldTour. Instead, they’re development riders – one from DSM’s in-house creche and the other from the European circuit.
Let’s dig into the familiar face within DSM, Robbe Dhondt. The 20-year-old Belgian has scored some decent results at the under-23 level but he’s no headline name. As for the other new recruit, British rider Bjoern Koerdt, he’s made his way from the British domestic scene on the well-trodden pathway from Zappi.
Three riders are on their way out of DSM: Patrick Bevin has retired, Martijn Tusveld is still awaiting his future contract and Emīls Liepiņš will leave the team after just one year.
If you want some brutal honesty, this is the least exciting team on this list. The two riders coming in won’t get instant results. It fits DSM’s philosophy as a glorified development squad, but they’ve really missed the boat on signing any new names. Maybe Fabio Jakobsen’s signature last year has tigntened their pursestrings.
Star signing: Robbe Dhondt (I guess)
Transfer rating: 2/10
Team Jayco-AlUla
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There are quite a few changes at Jayco-AlUla.
Ben O’Connor is their marquee signing. The Australian had a stellar year, finishing second at the Vuelta and the World Championships. He slipped inside the top five of the UCI rankings for the first time in his career off the back of his consistent season. Despite his new-found flair at Decathlon-AG2R, this move makes sense – an Australian heading up an Australian team. Given the departure of Simon Yates, O’Connor will slot into the leader’s role. He’s already stated his intent to lead their Tour de France lineup.
Otherwise, Austrian climber Patrick Gamper, British underdog Paul Double and former Giro King of the Mountains Koen Bouwman join Jayco-AlUla. Bob Donaldson also makes a big move across from the British domestic scene after showing great promise while riding for Trinity Racing.
Alan Hatherly is a superstar signing, but not for his road results. In a career spent mountain biking, Hatherly has won an Olympic medal as well as a rainbow jersey in the XCO. He has spent some time on EF’s development team, despite being in his mid 20s, but the South African has steered fairly clear of road cycling until now.
Although Simon Yates is heading away from Jayco-AlUla, the team have attracted some strong names. The quality of climbers coming in is notable, plus, they’ve banked on young hopeful Donaldson who could become a long-term project for the team.
Star signing: Ben O’Connor
Transfer rating: 7/10
Team Visma-Lease a Bike
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WorldTour titans Visma-Lease a Bike have been one of the most calculated teams when it comes to transfers. They’ve had a bit of a Midas touch recently, polishing the likes of Matteo Jorgenson, Jan Tratnik and Christophe Laporte. The Dutch superteam have continued their trend of identifying underutilised talents on the WorldTour, securing some familiar names for 2025.
Simon Yates anchors the list of incomers. The former Vuelta winner will hope to replicate the successes of his twin brother Adam at rivals UAE Team Emirates. Yates will have his own chances in one-week-long stage races before supporting Jonas Vingegaard at the Tour de France. As a whole, this move could prove influential at next year’s Tour. He might be the domestique that Vingegaard needs to draw level with UAE Team Emirates who showed complete control at this year’s Grand Boucle.
Elsewhere, Alex Zingle will join Visma from Cofidis. The Alsacian will bolster the team’s Classics squad, so I expect him to work closely to countryman Christophe Laporte and team leader Wout van Aert. Another rider to factor into the mix is Victor Campenaerts who will return to Visma after a five year break from the team.
Four riders are moving up from Visma’s over-achieving development squad. Jørgen Nordhagen is one you should keep your eye on among these youngsters. The Norwegian, who is still a teenager, has shown some real potential in the hills. He’s poached a couple of stages at the under-23 level and already entered the top ten at the senior Deutschland Tour. Tour de l’Avenir podium finisher Tijmen Graat and British Giro Next Gen stage victor Matt Brennan are other riders to have on your radar, and you may already know U23 World Champion Niklas Behrens, who joins Visma from Lidl-Trek’s development team.
Visma will be losing some of their young talents. As we spoke about, the Van Dijke brothers are on their way out, as is Johannes Staune-Mittet. Milan Vader and Koen Bouwman have also decided to pursue futures elsewhere. Overall though, Visma-Lease a Bike are in a good place for the next 12 months.
Star signing: Simon Yates
Transfer rating: 7/10
UAE Team Emirates
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It’s been an uncharacteristically modest transfer window for UAE Team Emirates. After another year spent at the top of the UCI rankings, they have brought on just four new recruits.
Jhonathan Narváez is the most decorated rider to be roped into Pogačar’s team. The Ecuadorian is heading over from Ineos Grenadiers after a strong season that peaked with a stage victory over his new teammate and a maglia rosa stint at the Giro d’Italia. Florian Vermeersch is another top-level recruit. The Belgian is a strong Classics rider who could really develop at UAE Team Emirates next season. I’ll call it now, Vermeersch will reach the podium of a major cobbled Classic in 2025.
Elsewhere, Spanish wunderkind Pablo Torres has signed up to UAE Team Emirates’ senior squad. Torres has been touted as ‘the next Pogačar’ after a bullish year on the under-23 circuit. The former UAE Team Emirates Gen Z rider took a first-class stage victory on the final day of racing at this year’s Tour de l’Avenir. Some stat gurus have also calculated that Torres rode up the Colle delle Finestre faster than Chris Froome did at the Giro in 2018.
Marc Hirschi is the most noteworthy departure. The Swiss star has built a reputation at second tier Classics, but he returned back onto the WorldTour this year to take his first top-flight victory since joining the squad in 2021. In 2025, he’ll be joining forces with Alaphilippe over at Tudor Pro Cycling. A long-time member of UAE Team Emirates, Diego Ulissi is moving to Astana next year, ending a partnership with the squad that’s been in place since the Lampre days.
Overall, the new signings make sense for UAE. They’re strong and versatile riders that will only help harden Pogačar’s inner circle. I sense Vermeersch will try to emulate Nils Politt, a UAE Team Emirates success story, while Narváez could bag some more wins and support Pogačar in the Classics.
Star signing: Jhonathan Narváez
Transfer rating: 7/10
Cyclist’s transfer season winners: Astana Qazaqstan
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To some readers’ suprise, we’ve chosen Astana Qazaqstan as our transfer market winners.
Their place at the top spot comes down to their crafty signings. Avoiding relegation will be very tough, but they’ve signed some points-magnets for support. Despite losing some cornerstone riders, notably Alexey Lutsenko and Mark Cavendish, they have strengthened their Classics, sprinting and GC lineups, improving every possible aspect without penning a bank-breaking rider.
The experienced figures of Wout Poels and Mike Teunissen should help steer the team through its post-Cavendish calendar. Likewise, Higuita and Ulissi provide two riders very capable of contending WorldTour victories. The weak points in the team have been addressed, particularly with this climbing support. Chiefly, I’m excited to see what Fausto Masnada can deliver at next year’s Giro d’Italia.
We’ll have to wait to see whether the team has a strong sense of cohesion. Given how many international signings they’ve made, and the new staff in place, it might all come crumbling down. However, I see this as as a return to the team’s former glory – and with new investment it could be just the start.
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