Over the past week a few more interesting rumours have emerged in the peloton. XDS Astana Team and Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team are two outfits who are spending this post-Giro period reinforcing contacts and potentially having agreed to deals with new riders.
With the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes having just ended; the Tour de Suisse ongoing; and with many more riders racing in Slovenia and at the Route d'Occitanie, it is one of the busiest weeks of the year for the World Tour peloton.
During these, agents are making and extending contacts with teams in the peloton and with less than month and a half for the official opening of the transfer window, there will be some urgency for teams to have several signings secured - for their own sake, and for the sake of not doing so too late.
It is notable that ever since the start of the Giro d'Italia, Paul Seixas' future has stopped being discussed. This in no way means conversations are dormant in the Decathlon CMA CGM Team camp.
The Frenchman, whose contract ends at the end of 2027, has been heavily pursued by UAE Team Emirates - XRG, but also contacted by other top teams. However, with the altitude camps and the Tour Auvergne, Seixas' full focus has gone into the Tour de France preparation and other topics have taken the headlines.
Last year, Remco Evenepoel's Tour de France was heavily influenced by the rumours that surrounded his potential move towards Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe. To a degree, this discourse affected his focus and preparation; and with the Tour having more exposure than any other race in the calendar, it could be that new stories will come out during this key period of the year.
Whilst its gone unspoken over the past few weeks, Paul Seixas' future should be discussed during the Tour de France
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Contract Extensions
But before the market officially opens, teams are also looking to secure their riders so they do not get signed elsewhere. Easier said than done, except for those who really find themselves in an ideal position - or have an offer they can't refuse.
Over the past week a few teams have certainly not ignored the young talent they currently have in their teams, and the most notable case is Ramses Debruyne. His contract extension has been announced right after the end of the Tour Auvergne-Rhõne-Alpes.
That is no coincidence, as the Alpecin-Premier Tech rode to second on the opening stage and, in a strong field, was 13th in the overall classification - this is also due to the riders who have overtaken him from the race's many breakaways.
Groupama - FDJ United renewed with Frenchman Tom Donnenwirth, a rider who turned pro last year with the team at age 27. Donnenwirth is a rider who carries potential after moving into pro cycling late, and the French team is looking to extract it as much as possible.
Movistar has also extended the contract of Michel Hessmann for another season. The German rider was signed after his suspension (over a diuretic used during his time at Visma) and has also become a solid domestique in the Spanish team, adapting well to his new role and becoming an important support rider for Cian Uijtdebroeks who also arrived from Visma.
Contract extensions since June 8th:
| Date | Rider | Team | Until |
| 2026-06-17 | DONNENWIRTH Tom | Groupama - FDJ United | 2028 |
| 2026-06-15 | DEBRUYNE Ramses | Alpecin - Premier Tech | 2028 |
| 2026-06-15 | SCHULTZ Elliot | Victoire Hiroshima | 2028 |
| 2026-06-09 | HESSMANN Michel | Movistar Team | 2027 |
Ramses Debruyne's performances at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes have not gone unnoticed by Alpecin management
XDS Astana making big moves in the market
Over on the rumour's section there are a few moves that have been given as certain, developments that have been updated over the past few days. The first also involves Movistar, who are set to lose Lorenzo Milesi to Soudal - Quick-Step in what should be a three-year deal. The Italian recently put in several strong rides during the Giro d'Italia and is a difficult loss for the team.
The second one is Pavel Bittner, currently a leader at Team Picnic PostNL. The Czech sprinter's departure increases the worries over the Dutch team's future, who are set to lose another leader whilst having no new signings on the horizon. Bittner will be joining Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, as are Tom Crabbe and Tommaso Dati later this fall.
Lorenzo Milesi was one of Movistar's headliners at the Giro d'Italia, but he will be joining Soudal - Quick-Step
Journalist Daniel Benson has reported on conversations between Iván Sosa and EF Education-EasyPost. The Colombian rider, former Movistar rider, looked to be past the prime of his career but after overcoming a difficult season, this year with Equipo Kern Pharma he has found his rhythm again with second places at the national championships, Tour of Turkey (where he won a mountain stage) and the recent Mercan'Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes.
Lastly XDS Astana Team are also active in the market right now, reinforcing their classics block even further. It has been reported by Ciro Scognamiglio that Andrea Bagioli of Lidl-Trek will be heading towards the Kazakh team, and after his performance on the opening stage of the Tour de Suisse, that will put a big smile on his soon-to-be team's face.
But Bagioli is not the only rider making the move, as it is also possible that Mikkel Honoré will be signing with Astana. The Danish rider is currently recovering from a set of injuries he suffered at the Heistse Pijl, which jeopardize the rest of his season.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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