Chasing the next prodigy - Agencies race to sign 15-year-old talent in high-stakes search for the next Pogacar

The battle to sign cycling's next generation of stars is moving further down the age groups. Riders who have barely entered their teenage years are increasingly becoming targets for management agencies, with representatives attending races where most of the competitors are still balancing cycling with school.

Fifteen-year-old Dane Philip Hyldtoft is already represented by SEG Cycling, while 16-year-old Belgian Lars Peers is managed by A&J Sports, the agency that also represents Tadej Pogacar. Their cases illustrate how early the professionalization of the talent market has begun, with agencies and teams increasingly unwilling to wait until riders reach the U23 ranks before deciding who might have the potential to become a future WorldTour star.

That represents a major change from the cycling industry of a decade ago. Rider agents traditionally became involved when a rider was approaching a professional contract, often after several seasons in the U23 ranks. Now, the competition for promising riders can begin while they are still juniors, and increasingly even before that stage.

The numbers reflect the shift. The average age at which riders sign their first professional contracts has fallen from almost 21 to just over 19, while contracts for young riders have become considerably longer. Instead of one- or two-year deals, teams are increasingly willing to commit for two or three seasons, and sometimes even further into the future.

The change has been accelerated by the emergence of riders such as Remco Evenepoel and Pogacar, who challenged the traditional development model by reaching the highest level exceptionally quickly.

Evenepoel went directly from junior cycling to Deceuninck-Quick-Step in 2019 and made his WorldTour debut at 19. Pogacar also turned professional at 20 with UAE Team Emirates and won the Tour de France one year later, becoming the youngest winner of the race in decades.

Their success has reinforced the belief that extraordinary riders can be identified early and that keeping them in the traditional development system for too long could mean losing them to a competitor. The emergence of increasingly sophisticated development programs has strengthened that trend, with WorldTour organizations investing heavily in identifying and nurturing riders before they reach the professional ranks.

The modern pathway is consequently becoming much more structured. A talented junior can be identified by an agent, receive representation, establish relationships with a professional team and potentially have a long-term career plan mapped out before reaching the U23 category.

The increasingly aggressive search for young riders also exposes a regulatory problem. Cycling has rules governing professional teams, contracts and rider representation, but the reality of identifying talent at increasingly young ages has developed faster than the framework designed to regulate it.

That leaves parents playing a particularly important role. A 15- or 16-year-old rider cannot be expected to evaluate the long-term consequences of a management agreement or understand how different teams' development structures compare. Families therefore increasingly need to assess not simply whether an agent can find their child a contract, but whether the relationship is appropriate for a rider whose education and physical development remain fundamental considerations.

There is also a difficult balance for the agents themselves. Entering the market too early can mean investing time in riders who ultimately do not develop into professionals. Entering too late, however, can mean that the most promising riders are already tied to another agency.

The same dynamic can be seen among teams. WorldTour organizations have expanded development programs and increasingly scout riders well before they become established U23 competitors. The most successful programs offer young riders a clear route from junior racing through development teams and eventually into the WorldTour, making it easier for a team to secure a rider before competitors can intervene.

For the riders, however, the benefits of early security have to be weighed against the danger of becoming professionalized too quickly.