Cycling Market - INEOS lose their breakout star as UAE and Visma begin 2027 signing campaign
CyclingWednesday, 19 August 2026 at 15:46
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)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- VIsma isnt a rival to UAE anymore i think, two different worlds now. Visma declined alot and If what i read everywhere Visma is broke and it wont be any signing campain and whole team is kinda declining but I hope they sign alot they need it looks like they cant keep up with the likes of Lidl and redbull aswell now.miguel19-08-2026
- I meant insane as insanely good. They are just so many steps ahead of the rest all the time and this another stellar signing, good engine and age..miguel19-08-2026
- Pogi vs everyone will be interesting. Cyclists fighting for second and third place will be intersting.PogiSloFans19-08-2026
- Will they give Jonas a commission for triggering Tadej into completing the trilogy?Jumpyjohn19-08-2026
- hmmm, another rider showing up for worlds knowing he won't win it, knowing he isn't a one day racer, but proud to represent his country.mij19-08-2026
- I read sarcasm in it seems to be a suggestion in answer to another person not a general one. But even without, why is it so , a lot of people in a lot of countries are proud and ready to do combat without questioning the reasons, legitimacy or consequences. You do realise an enormous number of people (and institutions) bet / invest for returns that grow through wars no? So perhaps (discretely) a lot who run no personal risk do wish for it, there are certainly some trigger happy leaders out there.Jumpyjohn19-08-2026
- Elsewhere, someone was heaping praise on PL for having insisted on performance based pay.Jumpyjohn19-08-2026
- I have never heard him complain about the money he makes, what are you on about? I hear plenty of people complaining or arguing over minutes of overtime or reduced cigarette breaks or not being allowed to take company pencils home and then they take rolls of toilet paper. Almost everyone complains about what doesn’t work for them and most of it is petty. Expose your world to us so we can check you’re not being a hypocrite about complaining when others feel you’re well enough off. And believe me, there are billions of people out there who will judge you the way you’re judging him.Jumpyjohn19-08-2026
- Sounds like he’s been paying attention to how Jonas manages his contracts.Jumpyjohn19-08-2026
- And once again we have a former professional cyclist saying Pogi is the Greatest Of All Time- THE G.O.A.T. ... After the year 2024, it keeps happening over and over again. Active professional cyclists, former professional cyclists, cycling experts, cycling podcasters are saying it. But we still have hypocritic fools, also on this site, saying: "NO NO NO... Merckx is the GOAT, look at his palmares." ... Don't insult my intelligence and stop lying to yourselves and to others. Don't be hypocrits just because you hate Pogi.PogiSloFans19-08-2026
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