Cycling Market - INEOS on the brink of disaster; Visma and UAE sign new riders; Seixas and Roglic's future decided soon
Cycling
Netcompany INEOS might lose Filippo Ganna in the midst of his contract; Paul Seixas has reportedly received an offer to renew with Decathlon; UAE Team Emirates - XRG and Team Visma | Lease a Bike have confirmed new riders into the 2027 season. Over the past week, a lot has happened in cycling's transfer market.
Since the previous instance of the Cycling Market, there have been some high-level moves, and a lot of emphasis on the women's peloton. This Saturday, Urska Zigart has officially renewed her contract with AG Insurance - Soudal Team all the way until 2029, further securing her future in the women's World Tour.
Uno-X Mobility have renewed their contracts with former Norwegian national champion Markus Hoelgaard and William Blume Levy; whilst NSN Cycling Team have extended with Corbin Strong, George Bennett and Dion Smith - the team's New Zealand block.
Notably, Óscar Sevilla has also renewed his contract with Team Medellín - EPM, meaning he will continue in the pro peloton at age 50.
Most recent contract extensions:
| Published | Rider | Team | Until |
| 2026-10-03 | ŽIGART Urška | AG Insurance - Soudal Team | 2029 |
| 2026-10-03 | VAN GOETHEM Femke | Citymesh - Customm Pro Cycling Team | 2027 |
| 2026-10-01 | ANDERSEN Susanne | Uno-X Mobility | 2028 |
| 2026-10-01 | WRESZIN Caroline | St Michel - Preference Home - Auber93 | 2027 |
| 2026-10-01 | STRONG Corbin | NSN Cycling Team | 2029 |
| 2026-10-01 | BENNETT George | NSN Cycling Team | 2027 |
| 2026-10-01 | SMITH Dion | NSN Cycling Team | 2028 |
| 2026-09-30 | BLUME LEVY William | Uno-X Mobility | 2027 |
| 2026-09-30 | FERNÁNDEZ Sinuhé | Burgos Burpellet BH | 2027 |
| 2026-09-30 | VAN GILS Lucas | Lotto - Groupe Wanty | 2028 |
| 2026-09-30 | CUYLITS Mauro | Lotto - Groupe Wanty | 2027 |
| 2026-09-30 | HOELGAARD Markus | Uno-X Mobility | 2028 |
| 2026-09-29 | ABGRALL Noémie | Ma Petite Entreprise | 2028 |
| 2026-09-29 | BEEKHUIS Teuntje | Uno-X Mobility | 2027 |
| 2026-09-29 | EDSETH Marte Berg | Uno-X Mobility | 2028 |
| 2026-09-29 | VAN DER TUUK Danny | Euskaltel - Euskadi | 2027 |
| 2026-09-29 | DROUET Jules | Bourg-en-Bresse Ain Cyclisme | 2027 |
| 2026-09-29 | SEVILLA Óscar | Team Medellín - EPM | 2027 |
| 2026-09-29 | NICOLAU Joel | Caja Rural - Seguros RGA | 2027 |
| 2026-09-29 | HUYSMANS Nolan | Team Flanders - Baloise | 2027 |
| 2026-09-29 | RESELL Erik Nordsæter | Uno-X Mobility | 2028 |
Urska Zigart has renewed with AG Insurance - Soudal Team all the way until 2029
UAE and Visma sign Gautherat and Donovan
Lidl-Trek have been the major player in the market this past week, and that might continue being the case in future weeks. In the men's team, the German squad have confirmed the addition of Jordi Meeus.
The Belgian sprinter, former winner on the Champs-Élysées, is departing Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe and joining the likes of Jonathan Milan and Mads Pedersen who currently lead the team's sprint ranks.
In the women's team, there has been the confirmation of Katarzyna Niewiadoma's signing. Second at the Tour de France Femmes and at the recent World Championships behind Demi Vollering, the Mont Ventoux winner will become the team's new leader.
UAE Team Emirates - XRG have confirmed the long-rumoured move of Decathlon CMA CGM Team's Pierre Gautherat, a three-year deal which sees the Frenchman follow in the footsteps of his former teammate Benoît Cosnefroy.
Team Visma | Lease a Bike in the meantime have also announced the signing of Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team's Mark Donovan. The 27-year old's move is perhaps one of the most surprising of the winter.
XDS Astana Team have signed Tommaso Dati whilst Groupama - FDJ have hired Giovanni Lonardi, both Italian sprinters will be making their World Tour debut.
Katarzyna Niewiadoma's move to Lidl-Trek may be the highest-profile transfer of this winter in the women's peloton
Filippo Ganna to leave INEOS?
There has been a bombshell rumour that has made the light of day this Saturday morning: Filippo Ganna may break his contract with Netcompany INEOS and join Lidl-Trek. This has been reported by Gazzetta dello Sport.
The two-time time trial world champion and eight-time Giro d'Italia stage winner has been part of the British team since 2019 and has not only become the team's spearhead time trialist, but also classics leader.
Ganna continues to be one of the world's best and most versatile riders, having finished second at Milano-Sanremo twice, won in the cobbled classics, developed his sprinting abilities - whilst also currently holding cycling's Hour Record, set back in 2022.
The big teams continue to make meaningful moves in the market and Team Visma | Lease a Bike continue to hunt for their top talents in the development ranks. According to DirectVeló, Steff van Kerckhove was set to race for the team's under-23 structure next year, but Visma has swooped in to hire him.
The 18-year old Belgian is one of the most prominent junior riders currently and has won several of the most prestigious races in the category this year so far.
Primoz Roglic of Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe is leaving the team at the end of the season but his future is still unclear. One of the highest-level figures without a clear path as we enter October, but one team appears to be ahead of the competition.
Wielerflits have reported that Roglic may be very close to signing with Tudor Pro Cycling Team, hence departing the World Tour after 10 years. This weekend's European Championships, in which he is one of the favourites, could change things however.
Read also
Paul Seixas close to renewing with Decathlon
Lastly Paul Seixas' future is also to be decided on soon. The Frenchman is currently signed to Decathlon CMA CGM Team all the way until the end of 2027, but most top teams have manifested their interest over potentially signing the young super-talent who just turned 20.
Seixas has, according to Daniel Benson, received a new proposal from Decathlon. Several teams, most notably Team Visma | Lease a Bike, are still hot on the climber's heels but there are strong arguments for Decathlon's potential success in the rider that is their present and potentially the team's future as well.
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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- PR to Tudor hardly means the end of WorldTour, they basically get invited to everything. Lidl-Trek German now??? Instead of asking if their football team is white enough, maybe that crowd should ask if their cycling team is German enough. American owner, main sponsor Hardly a German rider or staff member or equipment provider. Anyone have background to this decision, was it gifted to guarantee a long-term commitment from Lidl the way Ineos brown-nosed Netcompany?Jumpyjohn03-10-2026
- What a shame Pogačar can't fulfill his promise. It'll have to be next year
Rafionain-Glas03-10-2026 - Maybe their mechanics are willing to step in? Or they can convert a few on the bench of ManU.Jumpyjohn03-10-2026
- Opening a gap over Pidcock (who must know the course by heart now) on a technical descent must take some doing.Jumpyjohn03-10-2026
- This poll placed here is like asking something about Trump on Fox, really unbiased ;-)Jumpyjohn03-10-2026
- I will first look at results, not budgets to judge who is falling behind. I’m no fan of teams increasing budgets because others do, it’s an unhealthy spiral that can only lead to problems and complications. If cycling were as strict with spending rules as some other sports, UAE would now be digging themselves out a City sized hole.Jumpyjohn03-10-2026
- You forgot the probably fake doping disqualification at another Giro to ensure an Italian win. Probably worse than the individual hitting him to ensure a French TdF winner as it was orchestrated by cycling officials. I wouldn’t be surprised if mafia and betting had something to do with it but it was a smart enough tactic to avoid any kind of suspicion or investigation, almost impossible to prove but knowing the way the world and humanity works, completely plausible.Jumpyjohn03-10-2026
- You’re giving yourself away (as usual) with all the details and expressions we’re used to here.Jumpyjohn03-10-2026
- Ask Skjelmose, buy Seixas.Jumpyjohn03-10-2026
- It may look like that to you but I wonder. Given his strength, given the lack of commitment in front sometimes among some of the chasers, given his advantage on the climbs, given the small and changing gaps throughout, given a few more details we can assume, how come if he had so much energy to pull (and why would he just for the sake of those behind) he never rode a bit smarter or more efficiently by joining up with another group of chasers, either by detachment from wheelsuckers on the climb or falling back to other more collaborative chasers behind to form a bigger more useful chasing group. Something in all his work doesn’t make sense.Jumpyjohn03-10-2026
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