ANALYSIS: After Wout van Aert's lifetime deal which other riders are locked in with long term deals?

Wout van Aert is set to be a Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider for the remainder of his career after putting pen to paper on an indefinite contract with the Visma team, essentially securing a lifetime deal.

Whilst this contract is certainly unique, a number of other riders in the peloton are locked in with long term deals. Let's take a look at some of the longer lasting contracts in the current peloton.

Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) - 2029

The longest deal currently running in the peloton, other than Van Aert's indefinite one, belongs to UAE Team Emirates' Mexican wonderkid, Isaac del Toro. The 20-year-old winner of the 2023 Tour de l'Avenir, joined UAE Team Emirates for the 2024 season from A.R. Monex Pro CyclingTeam and with a contract lasting until the end of the 2029 campaign, Del Toro has been given a big show of faith.

Jasper Philipsen & Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) - 2028

The incredibly successful duo of Jasper Philipsen and Mathieu van der Poel have brought along much joy to Alpecin-Deceuninck in recent years. Seven monument wins, thirteen Grand Tour stage wins and much more have seen Philipsen and Van der Poel create one of the most formidable partnerships in the entire peloton. As such, it's perhaps somewhat unsurprising that Alpecin-Deceuninck have tied both down for the long-term.

Biniam Girmay (Intermarché - Wanty) - 2028

A hero to an entire continent, Biniam Girmay has emerged in recent years as one of the best supported riders in the entire peloton. The Eritrean has more than backed up this renown with on-road success as well. A stage of the Giro d'Italia, victory at Gent Wevelgem, plus three stages and a Green Jersey at the 2024 Tour de France, Girmay has been rewarded for his efforts with a long term deal until 2028 with the Intermarché - Wanty team.

Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) - 2028

A two-time Tour de France winner and runner-up at the 2023 Vuelta a Espana, Jonas Vingegaard is arguably the best pure Grand Tour rider in the entire peloton. Whilst he may have lost his Maillot Jaune this summer to great rival Tadej Pogacar, Vingegaard's long term deal with Team Visma | Lease a Bike until 2028 will ensure the Dane has plenty of opportunities in the coming years to add to his two Grand Tour wins.

Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) - 2028

Once seen as the big GC future of UAE Team Emirates, Juan Ayuso's relationship with the team has been a bit more strained in recent months. Teammates Adam Yates and Joao Almeida were vocally discontent with the Spaniard's performances at the Tour de France and Ayuso was subsequently left out of UAE Team Emirates' Vuelta a Espana lineup. Nevertheless, a contract until 2028 means that any transfer away is unlikely, with Ayuso and UAE tied together for the long term future.

Among other riders with deals until 2028 are the likes of Finnish youngster Kasper Borremans at Bahrain Victorious, Danish prodigy Albert Philipsen with Lidl-Trek, Ayuso and Del Toro's UAE Team Emirates teammate Jan Christen, Israel - Premier Tech duo Derek Gee and Stephen Williams, plus Uno-X Mobility's Jonas Abrahamsen.