UAE Team Emirates - XRG and Team Visma | Lease a Bike have begun their push towards the 2027 season when it comes to the transfer market. Both teams have conducted their first signings whilst rumours of an unexpected big move emerge in the peloton.
Contract Extensions
XDS Astana renewed the contract of its veteran figure Diego Ulissi this past week and they were quick to act upon one of its new big winners. Guillermo Thomas Silva has won the Arctic Race of Norway, his eighth win of the season.- The 24-year old proved to be one of the best transfers of the year and his contract has been renewed all the way into 2029.
After winning the GC in Norway and the Tour of Hainan, alongside a stage win at the Giro d'Italia - which earned him a pink jersey - amongst other results, Silva has not only become a UCI points machine but also one of the team's very best in the roster.
Equally, Tudor Pro Cycling Team were quick to renew their contract with Marco Brenner after his triumph at the Tour de Pologne. The German rider has extended all the way into 2030, one of the longest contracts in professional cycling. The Swiss team has put in a big dig to secure its future, renewing also with Marco Haller and Matteo Trentin for another two seasons.
Vito Braet has extended his contract with Lotto - Intermarché whilst Euskaltel - Euskadi also maintain Jonathan Lastra and Txomin Juaristi on their roster for the time being.
Contract extensions from 12th to 19th August
| Published | Rider | Team | Until |
| 2026-08-19 | JUARISTI Txomin | Euskaltel - Euskadi | 2028 |
| 2026-08-18 | SILVA Guillermo Thomas | XDS Astana Team | 2029 |
| 2026-08-18 | LASTRA Jonathan | Euskaltel - Euskadi | 2028 |
| 2026-08-15 | BRAET Vito | Lotto Intermarché | 2027 |
| 2026-08-14 | HALLER Marco | Tudor Pro Cycling Team | 2028 |
| 2026-08-14 | TRENTIN Matteo | Tudor Pro Cycling Team | 2028 |
| 2026-08-13 | STITES Tyler | Modern Adventure Pro Cycling | 2027 |
| 2026-08-12 | BRENNER Marco | Tudor Pro Cycling Team | 2030 |
Official signings
A big week when it comes to signings, with many of the World Tour's biggest teams involved. One of them with a net negative: Netcompany INEOS. Following the triumph at the Czech Tour, the American rider has been announced to be a new rider for Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team.
At only age 20, August not only won in the Czech Republic but also net himself victories at the Volta a Comunitat Valenciana and Itzulia Basque Country. The Rochester-native spent three years at INEOS where he developed into a very high level and could see himself become a leader alongside Tom Pidcock at Pinarello.
The Swiss team also announced the signing of Sebastien Berwick, previously rumoured to joining the team. Several other transfers that had been previously pointed out have been finally announced this week.
Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe will be taking in former German national champion Georg Steinhauser; whilst Arnaud de Lie's departure from Lotto - Intermarché has been made official - with a whole four-year deal with Tudor Pro Cycling Team. Kaden Groves is expected to be announced in the Swiss team over the coming weeks.
The big hitters have also struck out. Team Visma | Lease a Bike, on paper, had already announced the signing of Matisse van Kerckhove into 2027, but that was done in the aftermath of Simon Yates' retirement back in January. The team's first actual move of the transfer season is that of Fabio Jakobsen. The Dutchman is officially a Visma rider already, and will be competing in its colours all the way until the end of the 2027 season.
Meanwhile UAE Team Emirates - XRG have not sat still. Only two riders had strong connections to the team mentioned beforehand and both moves have now been confirmed. NSN Cycling Team's Marco Frigo and Caja Rural's Abel Balderstone make for an interesting couple of signings by the Emirati team, who look to maintain its climbing block in the middle of a few important departures.
Andrew August had his breakthrough this year and is now leaving Netcompany INEOS
Read also
Richard Carapaz to leave EF?
The main rumour that has been circulating over the past week is that of Richard Carapaz potentially leaving EF Education-EasyPost. That came not from a news outlet, but from Belgian pundit Johan Bruyneel.
“I can't say anything else, but the little bird told me that he's going somewhere else,” he said. “Although he still has a contract. He still has a contract for 2027.” Whilst such a claim must be taken with a grain of salt, it comes at a time where the Ecuadorian's ambitions at the Vuelta a España have largely been dictated by the team's ability to support him in the mountains.
Carapaz, officially, has a contract that currently lasts all the way into 2028. Over the coming months more should be learnt about the veracity of this rumour.
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.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
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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- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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