Cycling Market - Primoz Roglic on the move, INEOS set for a new classics signing and Tom Pidcock sees his team grow
CyclingWednesday, 12 August 2026 at 11:06
The cycling market is bustling with activity, from its lower ranks all the way to some of the world's best. Netcompany INEOS is set to sign a new French rider; Tom Pidcock has likely discovered two new teammates; whilst Primoz Roglic has been rumoured to join one of the most unlikely World Tour teams.
Contract Extensions
Over the past few days there have been some interesting moves when it comes to contract extensions. Notably the Belgian teams have been quite active, with Lotto - Intermarché managing to secure Lars Craps in the midst of an exodus by most of the team's leaders - Arnaud de Lie, Lennert van Eetvelt, Cedric Beullens and Georg Zimmermann have all been reported to leave the team at the end of the season.
Cyclocross outfit Pauwels Sauzen - Altez Industriebouw Cycling Team have also renewed with Michael Vanthourenhout, mantaining the Belgian CX specialist in its road structure for another year - with several of his rivals such as Toon Aerts and Emiel Verstrynge, amidst some bigger names naturally, having switched to a full-time World Tour role including Grand Tours.
UAE Team L'IMAD have extended with veteran Maví García in the women's field at age 42 whilst XDS Astana Team have also renewed the contract of their resident veteran Diego Ulissi. The 37-year old will remain in the World Tour for one more season after having his first back in 2010.
Contract extensions from 7th to 11th August:
| Published | Rider | Team | Until |
| 2026-08-11 | ULISSI Diego | XDS Astana Team | 2027 |
| 2026-08-11 | AGIRRE Jon | Euskaltel - Euskadi | 2028 |
| 2026-08-10 | CRAPS Lars | Lotto Intermarché | 2028 |
| 2026-08-09 | VANTHOURENHOUT Michael | Pauwels Sauzen - Altez Industriebouw Cycling Team | 2027 |
| 2026-08-09 | DE BRUYCKERE Kay | Pauwels Sauzen - Altez Industriebouw Cycling Team | 2027 |
| 2026-08-09 | GARCÍA Mavi | UAE Team L'IMAD | 2027 |
| 2026-08-08 | ROMMELAERE Iben | Tarteletto - Isorex | 2027 |
Moves within the World Tour
Three more signings have been confirmed over the past few days when it comes to the World Tour, all three of them previously reported on. Daniel Benson, Ciro Scognamiglio, Het Laatste Nieuws, Het Nieuwsblad and Wielerflits frequently provide new insights into the peloton's behind the scenes.
Pavel Bittner has officially been signed by Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team. The Czech sprinter has been the focal figure at Team Picnic PostNL but the team's 2026 season has been nothing but underwhelming, leading to further issues to maintain its leaders. Bittner's move has been confirmed after that of its other head sprinter Casper van Uden who will be a rider for Alpecin - Premier Tech from 2027 onwards.
Soudal - Quick-Step have revealed their second signing from a rival World Tour team. After sprinter Tim Torn Teutenberg, Movistar's Lorenzo Milesi has also signed a multi-year deal.
The most notable move announced in recent days however has been that of Santiago Buitrago. The Bahrain - Victorious climber has turned pro with his current team in 2020 and will move away towards NSN Cycling Team for a three-year deal.
Santiago Buitrago has signed with NSN Cycling Team into 2027
Read also
Primoz Roglic on the way to Lotto?
When it comes to the rumour mill, interesting developments have come to the surface. Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team are yet to announce many of their expected signings for the 2026 season, yet two more names have been heavily linked to the team: Niels Driesen and Liam O'Brien.
The former is a Lotto-intermarché development team rider, reigning champion of the Ronde de l'Isard; whilst O'Brien is part of Lidl-Trek's development program and was second in the same event back in 2025. Both are reinforcements for the mountains - whilst the team had previously been linked with Caja Rural climbing duo Sebastien Berwick and Jan Castellón.
Netcompany INEOS are reportedly signing another French rider in Clément Champoussin. Dorian Godon and Kévin Vauquelin are currently the two French riders signed towards 2027, the year where TotalEnergies is likely to become a title sponsor in the team.
Lastly, Primoz Roglic has been rumoured to be in conversations with Lotto - Intermarché. The Slovenian is departing Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe at the end of this season and amongst those interested was also Pinarello. Roglic's future in the peloton is still quite uncertain and his destination has become one of the most interesting plot points in the transfer market.
A move to Lotto would come as a shock taking into consideration the team's historical and current context, lacking big climbers whilst often favouring the Belgian classics and sprinters. The team could potentially have the budget to make an interesting offer taking into consideration the departure of its current leaders - whilst a leadership position would not be questioned.
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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Davide12-08-2026 - i'd like to see her get out of UAE, not sure about Movistar as they have Reusser ...Davide12-08-2026
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Senna196012-08-2026 - Why do they need to be compared? Why can’t they both just be great?mij12-08-2026
- An 8 second differential on the final day isn’t more exciting than an almost 8 minute differential? The women’s race was spectacular.mij12-08-2026
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- And here I thought 'Mouse' was Tadeg's partner!frieders312-08-2026
- If you're referring to Blackmore he is 23 yo. Though i agree with the engineer, none of those names has made any noise to make anyone believe they will bolster the squad.Zone0Rider11-08-2026
- Yeah wouldnt surprise me now. I just remember they saying visma riders was good this tdf and getting most out of riders when half the team is just getting worse and worse? remember thinking what did they watch whichj i didnt. Crazy to think this site is actually visma and those other pundits. Make so much sense now thinking about it lol.miguel11-08-2026
- Demi Vollering is Dutch and she's their Goddess. In the future we will see an article that will look something like this: "I don't think it's too controversial to say that Demi Vollering is a much better cyclist than Tadej Pogačar. Much more interesting."PogiSloFans11-08-2026
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