ANALYSIS | 5 of the best signings into the 2026 season

The 2026 season is getting closer and closer. Although the cycling market is still active, the main signings have been closed. There have been very mediatic signings, others thinking long term, and some key renewals. All thinking about the new three-year period until 2028. Here are some of the most important switches of this winter.

The Decathlon CMA CGM team (as it will be called from 2026) has a very clear plan: to become the best in the world. To this end, a huge amount of money has been invested from the main sponsor, which has been used to perfection. Names such as Olav Kooij, Tiesj Bennot or Gregor Mühlberger have been added, but none as important as Matthew Riccitello perhaps.

The American came out of Israel - Premier Tech this fall, and he did so after jumping to stardom following his incredible Vuelta a España 2025. Riccitello established himself as one of the great pearls of the future of grand tours by finishing 5th overall and winning the youth classification, showing great abilities as a pure climber. Along with Paul Seixas, he has everything to be the future for Decathlon in the mountains.

Another exciting signing, this time for French cycling, was that of Kévin Vauquelin to INEOS Grenadiers. The 24-year-old French rider left Arkéa - B&B Hotels (a team that will disappear in 2025) after finishing in an outstanding 7th place in the general classification of the Tour de France. He was also third in the young riders' classification and second at the Tour de Suisse and Flèche Wallonne earlier in the season.

Why is his signing so important? Because INEOS, one of the giants of the World Tour, is not going through its best moment. In fact, this season it has had only Carlos Rodriguez and Egan Bernal as leaders for the grand tours, who haven't achieved the brightest results in 2025 - nowhere near close of what the €50 million euro team would wish for. And although the Colombian has once again enjoyed some notable victories (such as a stage at the Vuelta a España), neither has been up to the standard required.

The Belgian's signing with Movistar Team was one of the most unexpected of the cycling market, if not the biggest surprise of all. Cian Uijtdebroeks knew that at Team Visma | Lease a Bike, with Jonas Vingegaard, it would be impossible for him to ride with the freedom he wanted in a grand tour, especially the Tour de France.

That's why, in a Movistar that was looking for the generational replacement for Enric Mas, the Belgian has landed on his feet. At 22, Uijtdebroeks has it all to take the Spanish team to the next level. He already arrived at Visma as cycling's next big star. He had physical problems, but overcame them in the final stretch of the 2025 season.

Now, at Movistar Team, he can dream of being the team's reference in the fight for the general classification and will race both Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España in 2026. In principle, Enric Mas is still ahead in the hierarchy, but his time will come sooner rather than later.

The second best signing of the cycling market has a Spanish accent. Juan Ayuso, after more than a year of tensions with UAE Team Emirates - XRG, managed to find a destination at the height of its potential in Lidl-Trek. The American team became the new home of the rider from Jávea, who will make his debut in 2026 and with all the qualities he wanted in the Emirati squad.

This move is crucial for the following reason: until now, Lidl has not been aiming for overall rankings in the most important races on the calendar. It has been sweeping other objectives. For example, history was made this 2025 by winning the points classifications of the 3 grand tours (Mads Pedersen in Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España, and Jonathan Milan in Tour de France).

Surrounding Juan Ayuso with top-level domestiques (he will have at his side, among others, Carlos Verona and the other signing, Matteo Sobrero), Lidl-Trek can now afford to dream of winning a grand tour where Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard are not competing.

The best signing was more than clear. It was not a surprise, as it was even anticipated since the last Tour de France. But it is still one of the most important moves, not only in the current cycling market, but in the recent history of the sport.

Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe is clear that it wants to be better than UAE and Visma, but it must begin by matching them with a big star. With Remco Evenepoel joining a squad that already possesses Primoz Roglic, Florian Lipowitz, Giulio Pellizzari, Jai Hindley, Aleksandr Vlasov, Daniel Martinez and many more, bringing a dream team to the Tour de France is now viable, and with the Belgian's chances of beating Pogacar and Vingegaard become possible.