ANALYSIS | The 5 most exciting transfers that might have slipped under your radar

With 2026 in sights, the transfer window is nearly closed for all World and Pro teams. We've seen several teams disappear from the peloton, while others have taken their place. Many riders have gone up or down a level, with plenty concluding their professional careers for various reasons. But what will be remembered about this transfer window above all are the many buy-outs of high-profile GC contenders, especially Remco Evenepoel, Juan Ayuso, Oscar Onley, and most likely also Derek Gee. We take a look at some that have gone under the radar. 

Plenty was written about these present & future stars of Grand Tour racing, but now let's have a look at some very interesting moves that didn't make the headlines, but could quickly turn out to have been genius signings by their new employers.

As for the criteria, I won't include moves that had happened within the same structure, for example Jakob Söderqvist's promotion from Lidl-Trek Future Racing to main team. The same applies for the likes of Jakob Omrzel, Senna Remijn or Maxime Decomble - all of them exciting talents taking a step up in 2026.

With that out of the way, let's find out which transfers caught my attention heading into the new season:

INEOS Grenadiers have undergone a turbulent transfer period, marked by changes in management, launch of a brand new development team, and anything but straight-forward transfer talks. Ultimately though, the result is more than plausible for INEOS who replace retiring key riders such as Geraint Thomas (who moves into the managerial role) with up and coming talent, spearheaded by the number 4 of this year's Tour de France Oscar Onley, and seventh place Kévin Vauquelin.

Not only that, the team continues to put emphasis on other areas of racing than GC, bringing sprinter Sam Welsford, and a man I personally look forward to seeing - Dorian Godon.

The 29-year-old has been at the highest level for nearly a decade now, but I believe he's still nowhere near reaching his full potential. I've been actually following Godon for two years now, since somebody pointed out that, at the time, he had the best power values of the entire Decathlon (then still AG2R). An intriguing statement, because Godon had won Brabantse Pijl and Giro del Veneto that year, but didn't make it further than to the bottom of Top 200 in the UCI ranking.

However from that point onwards, the prophecy has started to come to fruition with Godon taking noticeable leaps in level each year. And this year, that was enough to see him reach a 76th place in the world, enough to generate interest from rival teams, such as INEOS Grenadiers whre he penned a three-year deal. And deservedly so.

The Frenchman took 6 victories this season. Starting off with a stage win at Tour des Alpes-Maritimes, it then took Godon until the National championships to raise his hands again in a race dominated by Decathlon with three riders in the top 10. Later, wearing the tricolor, Godon took two stages and a second place in GC at the Tour Poitou - Charentes, won Coppa Bernocchi, and wrapped up his winning tally with a home victory at Tour de Vendée.

So what can we expect from Godon in 2026? Linking up with younger compatriot Axel Laurance, the two Frenchman can create a powerful two-punch duo in Ardennes classics. Laurance is not afraid to attack from far out, as he has shown at the under-23 world championships two years ago, while Godon can lean back on his excellent 30-second power at the end of a hard day out.

In presence of Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel, it won't be easy to get this strategy to work, but any race going into a reduced sprint is going to be a great opportunity for a rider with Godon's qualities.

Just like their age-long rivals from the UK, Movistar's transfer window was one that was aimed at rejuvenation. Besides also launching their own development programme, the traditional Spanish team let go of many of its experienced pillars such as Fernando Gaviria, Ruben Guerreiro, Davide Cimolai, Gregor Mühlberger and Will Barta. But that doesn't mean Movistar will be weakened in 2026. As a matter of fact, quite the opposite.

Cian Uijtdebroeks' unexpected transfer from Team Visma | Lease a Bike stole the spotlight, but Movistar made quite a few interesting moves with future in their mind this transfer window. However Roger Adria's arrival can create a difference immediately.

The 27-year-old Spaniard is far from an unknown quantity after his 11th place at the 2024 World Championships, however 2025 marked a subtle retreat from the limelight as Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe's ambitions grow beyond all limits. The highly competitive environment of the German team swallowed Adria whose only remarkable success was therefore a stage win in the opening stage of Vuelta a Burgos.

In the language of numbers, Adria dropped from 71st position to 197th on the UCI ranking.

In Movistar, he'll find a completely different collective. In the team heavily investing into its GC ambitions, Adria should be one of the main names for his favourite hilly classics. Although the rise of Carlos Canal this year has been remarkable, the more experienced Adria should normally take leadership in Ardennes-type of races and could aim to enter the top 10 in races like Amstel Gold Race, while fighting for victory/podium at smaller one-day races as well as in some of the stage races.

And if he can rediscover his legs from the end of 2024, Adria could well aim for a Grand Tour stage win, something Movistar couldn't achieve in 2025.

The Lotto-Intermarché merger probably didn't go as smoothly as both parties imagined with some of the biggest stars of the former team opting to venture towards a new adventure rather than putting their fate in the hands of the new structure. The most notable was the loss of Biniam Girmay to NSN Cycling Team, but Laurenz Rex is another man the new Belgian World Tour lineup would've certainly preferred to have in their ranks for the cobbled Classics next spring.

At 26 years of age, the tall Belgian is yet to achieve his breakthrough, but it's not impossible that 2026 could be the turning point of Rex's career. Joining Soudal - Quick-Step, he'll find a re-built team that is no longer centered around the figure of Remco Evenepoel. The title of "biggest star" is now transferred to the team's sprinter Tim Merlier who will be challenged for his crown by the young Paul Magnier. But the Classics team that is coming together could completely overshadow the two fast men. The arrivals of Jasper Stuyven and Dylan van Baarle are a more than clear message about the return to the Wolfpack roots.

And while I say that Rex is yet to put his name down on the roads, he's already enjoyed remote success at the cobbles, especially the Paris-Roubaix seems to be his cup of tea. In the last three editions, Rex reached the top-10 twice (crashed out in 2024).

In 2023, you could play it down to "luck" of that year's breakaway making its way far into the race and then Rex hung on to an unexpected 9th place. To prove that something as simple as luck wasn't behind his success, Rex, backed by top-10 at Gent-Wevelgem two weeks earlier, returned to the top-10 of Roubaix result sheet this year.

Generally speaking, this spring might've lacked an outstanding result - Rex's best was 4th place at Antwerp Port Epic. However it was more about building consistency in the spring period where Rex maintained a high level throughout the busiest three months. The second half of the year wasn't as great, causing Rex to not rank highly on the UCI ranking.

Alongside Stuyven and Van Baarle, the trio can revive the traditional three-pronged attack strategy that made the Wolfpack legendary. Bear in mind that a top-10 in Monument is not far from a top-5, and eventually even winning one. So keep a close eye on the 26-year-old!

And when that doesn't work out, Rex can jump at the "B-plan" and contribute to the success of either Merlier or Magnier as a lead-out.

The biggest change in NSN Cycling Team, compared to the Israel - Premier Tech, seems to be the disappearance of Canadian cyclists. A change made late into the season, most transfers were most likely already solved before the critical point that was Vuelta a España. It's clear that the GC ambitions will be abandoned with departures of Giro's fourth place Derek Gee and Vuelta fifth place Matthew Riccitello, while Classics and sprinter departments are strengthened. Mainly through the arrival of Biniam Girmay.

Most eyes will be on the Eritrean, but that's exactly the moment when opportunities for his teammates could open up. One of them is another newcomer - Lewis Askey.

2026 will be his first year away from the formation where he grew up - Groupama - FDJ. The 24-year-old Brit brings to NSN a complete package; versatility to deal with hilly courses, good kick to finish off races, and technical ability combined with engine that allow him to excel on cobbles and gravel.

But even with this skill-set, it took Askey until this May to win his first professional race; Boucles de l'Aulne. Askey doubled-down on that success with a stage win at 4 Jours de Dunkerque a week later, adding a 2nd place overall at the stage race. He then went on to reach a stage podium twice at the Tour de Suisse.

Like Rex above, the second half of the season went far from ideal for Askey, but the foundation was already laid and the Brit will be undeniable one to watch next year as he links up with countrymen Jake Stewart and Ethan Vernon for the Classics.

He's most likely to again target some of the .1 and .Pro races, but I believe he can also compete for a big result at races such as Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Gent-Wevelgem, or Bretagne Classic.

Unibet Rose Rockets have had some of the most impressive transfer windows we have ever witnessed in the sport of cycling. The French-Dutch team went through the past year as a middle-of-the-pack ProTeam, attracting attention more through their social channels than on-bike performances, although Lukáš Kubiš was an exception worth pointing out, reaching a top-60 of the UCI ranking. For next season, the team will transform entirely with the star arrivals of Tour de France stage winners Dylan Groenewegen, Wout Poels and Victor Lafay.

Thanks to that, the team of Bas Tietema suddenly appears to be frontrunner for a Tour wildcard. And Matyas Kopecky could be part of the selected '8' that will go to the team's debut Grand Boucle.

That the 22-year-old would eventually find his way to WorldTour, or a big ProTeam, has been in the stars for a few seasons now. As a stand-out diabetes-athlete of the Team Novo Nordisk, the Czech all-rounder living in the Netherlands attracted big teams already in his second pro-season, finishing 5th at the under-23 European Championships on VAM-berg circuit.

The following two years were in the sign of continuous growth and incredible consistency, having finished two thirds of his races in top-25, including 20+ top-10 results. And he did so, for the most part, with a very limited (if any) team support in decisive moments.

As a matter of fact, I thought an even bigger team would pick up the Classics talent, but perhaps the top teams were a bit worried about the extra challenges that come with diabetes. Because numbers-wise, the Czech rider must appeal to many of the best teams.

The 2026 season will be a big challenge for Kopecky who is likely to discover the world of Flemish Classics. Fortunately, he'll have the best possible guide in his older brother Tomáš who has been making a name for himself with 7th place at GP Denain and 33rd at Paris-Roubaix on his debut. Joining up with Slovak Kubiš, Unibet can build a powerful Classics lineup for the future.