Alaphilippe, Yates, Vollering - Who has made the best signing of the off season so far?
Cycling
We’re over a month into the off season now, and we can’t wait for the action to get back underway again in 2025. But whilst their might not be much action on our screens for the time being, there is plenty of work going on behind the scenes, as the teams and riders prepare for what will be another challenging season next year.
There’s also been a number of high profile transfers already this winter, as teams look to strengthen up their line ups. In this article, we will take a look at some of the big names that have switched jerseys this winter, and which teams have been winning, and losing, the transfer war so far.
Julian Alaphilippe
Whilst Julain Alaphilippe’s relationship with Soudal – Quick-Step team boss Patrick Lefevere had appeared strained over the past few seasons, this move still came as a surprise. The 32 year old had spent the whole of his professional career with the team, but in 2025 he will be joining Q36.5 Pro Cycling, a team who were only formed in 2023.
Since his debut in 2014, Alaphilipe has been one of the most exciting riders in the peloton. He has a palmares most riders could only dream of, with wins at all three grand tours, Milano-Sanremo, and Strade Bianche. That’s not to mention his incredible back to back world titles in 2020 and 2021, before he handed the jersey to his Soudal – Quick-Step teammate Remco Evenepoel in 2022.
But of course, the defining moment of Alaphilipe’s career will be that run in yellow at the 2019 Tour de France. For the best part of three weeks, Alapahilipe allowed French fan’s to dream that they could have a French Tour de France winner, something they have been yearning for for decades. Although it was not to be, Alaphilipe’s time in yellow still represents a magical period in French cycling in the 21st century.
Of course, since his second world title in 2021, things haven’t really worked out for Alaphilipe. Maybe he’s chosen the right time to write a new chapter in his career, and it was now or never, as at 32 he can only have several years left to recapture the magic of his prime. For Q36.5 Pro Cycling, this is a massive signing, and could prove a game changer in their hunt to secure wildcard invites to world tour races.
Diego Ulissi
The next big transfer we’re looking at is Diego Ulissi’s move from UAE Team Emirates to Astana Qazaqstan Team, a team that has made several big signings this winter in their hopes to salvage their WorldTour status.
Ulissi, from Cecina, Italy, is certainly a strong rider, and has picked up an impressive 8 stages at the Giro throughout his long career. He’s also the only active Italian rider to have won at least one race every year, all the way back to 2010. But at 35, he may be past his best now, and Astana Qazaqstan will be hoping he can rediscover some of his former glory to help them to rescue their current demise.
Demi Vollering
Perhaps the biggest signing of the winter so far is in the women’s peloton, as FDJ – Suez have secured the services of a true superstar in Demi Vollering. The 28 year old won the Tour de France Femmes in 2023, and whilst a crash denied her the yellow jersey this year, she is definitely the best GC rider in the women’s peloton at the moment.
Leaving Team SD Worx-Protime to join FDJ – Suez, Vollering joins the team with the clear ambition of regaining her Tour de France crown. She leaves Lotte Kopecky behind at her old team, and will join the likes of Juliette Labous, Elise Chabbey and Ally Wollaston at her new squad.
Vollering came under some criticism for her performance at the world championships in Zurich in September, which followed on shortly after her crash at the Tour saw the yellow jersey slip away from her. Perhaps a new chapter is what the 28 year old needs right now, and despite the small blip in form in 2024, she is one of the very best riders in the women’s peloton.
Simon Yates
It’s going to be brother vs brother in 2024, as Simon Yates teams up with Jonas Vingegaard and Team Visma Lease a Bike to take on his brother Adam at UAE Team Emirates, lead by the dominant force of Tadej Pogacar.
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This could prove to be a superb signing for Visma, who just two years ago comfortably had the best team at the Tour, with Roglic, Vingegaard, Kuss and Wout van Aert attacking and outnumbering Pogacar to deplete his energy. But this year, it was Vingegaard who was left isolated in the high mountains, as Tadej Pogacar and his UAE Emirates super team left everyone in their wake in 2024. Yates joining the team, a former winner of the Vuelta himself, could be just what Visma need to bolster their support for Vingegaard in the mountains.
Simon finished 4th, just behind his brother Adam in third, at the 2023 Tour de France. It will be brilliant to see how the dynamic unfolds between the two brothers, whose main roles will be to support their leaders Pogacar and Vingegaard, but we’ve got no doubt they’ll be trying to beat each other too. For Team Jayco AlUla, this is a disappointing loss, but they’ve already got their replacement for Simon Yates, who is our next big name on this list.
Ben O’Connor
What a year Ben O’Connor had in 2024. 4th at the Giro, nearly two weeks in red at the Vuelta and ultimately finished second in the GC, and then a world championship silver to top it all off. After a difficult year for the Australian in 2023, his response was incredible, as this was undoubtedly the best year of his career.
So why leave Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team?
The answer is probably not that complicated, as he joins Team Jayco AlUla, an Australian based team. This means he’ll be able to spend more time at home compared to the last few years where he’s been based on the other side of the world in France.
O’Connor finally proved in 2024 that he does have GC potential at grand tours. Since his fourth place at the Tour de France in 2021, he’d never been able to live up to the expectations and had struggled with his emotions which was displayed clearly in the Netflix documentary Tour de France: Unchained. But in 2024, things finally fell in to place for the 28 year old, and Jacyo have definitely secured a very talented rider, that is equal to if not better than the outgoing Simon Yates, at this stage in his career.
Victor Campenaerts
Victor Campenaerts will be making a return to Team Visma Lease a Bike in 2025, coming off the back of a great year for the Belgian where he won a Tour de France stage for the first time. Known for his expertise in time trialling, Campenaerts is dangerous on most terrains, and his experience will be a crucial asset for the team he left in 2017, when it was in the infancy of its rise to the top of cycling.
Having already spent time with the team earlier in his career, Campenaerts has a deep understanding of their setup and drive to win. The Belgian time trial specialist is expected to play a key role in supporting Visma's ambitions in the upcoming season, whether it's in Grand Tours or one day races. With riders like Jonas Vingegaard, Wout van Aert, Sepp Kuss and Simon Yates already in the roster, the addition of Campenaerts could draw the team closer in comparison to the UAE Team Emirates super team we saw at the 2024 Tour de France.
Anna van der Breggen
In a stunning announcement over the summer, SD Worx-Protime confirmed that Anna van der Breggen would return to the pro cycling in 2025. The former world champion, who transitioned to a management role after retiring and seemed pretty comfortable on the side lines, surprised everyone with the announcement.
Her return is set to inject even more power into an already strong SD Worx-Protime lineup. Van der Breggen’s palmares is already legendary, including multiple Giro d’Italian victories, Olympic gold, and world titles, making her one of the most decorated cyclists in history. Whether she can add more titles to her collection remains to be seen. But wow, if she is anywhere close to her best, the women’s peloton just became even more exciting.
At 35, van der Breggen's comeback could redefine the twilight of her career, as she looks to prove that her time away from racing hasn’t softened her relentless desire to win. SD Worx-Protime will be desperate for van der Breggen to quickly brush off the cobwebs, and take on their now former rider Vollering in the grand tour general classifications.
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