CyclingUpToDate Awards: Simon Yates crowned Signing of the 2025 Season edging thrilling battle with Tom Pidcock by just 6 votes
Cycling
Simon Yates has been voted CyclingUpToDate’s Signing of the Season, edging out Tom Pidcock in one of the closest polls of our End of Year Awards so far. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike recruit secured 163 votes, just ahead of Pidcock’s 157, after a season that delivered instant Grand Tour glory and reaffirmed his status among the sport’s elite.
It was a poll defined by two standout transfers — both of whom reshaped the competitive landscape in very different ways — but in the end, Yates’ Giro dItalia triumph proved decisive in the eyes of readers.
Across 532 total votes, the final standings underline just how compelling this category was at the top end, even as the gap behind the leading duo grew sharply.
Giro victory seals it for Yates, with Pidcock pushing hard
Yates’ move from Team Jayco AlUla to Team Visma | Lease a Bike was one of the most talked-about transfers of the winter — and it delivered on day one. His Giro dItalia victory, secured in dramatic late-race fashion, gave Visma their second Pink Jersey in three seasons and handed Yates the perfect start to life in new colours.
Beyond the trophy, there was symbolism too: a proven Grand Tour winner joining the sport’s most meticulously drilled team, adding experience, depth and tactical security to their already formidable lineup.
Pidcock’s case was just as compelling. His switch to Q36.5 sparked a reinvention — a rider moving from protected but confined leadership at INEOS to becoming the figurehead of an ambitious, growing project. A Vuelta a Espana podium, stage wins across the calendar and a landmark GC breakthrough made him the heartbeat of his new team’s season and turned a bold move into validation.
Yet with Yates lifting a Grand Tour trophy in year one, the margin tipped his way — albeit by only six votes.
A transfer that reshaped expectations
For Visma, Yates’ arrival brought more than results — it brought leadership stability during a season of complex role-sharing and injury setbacks elsewhere in the squad. Winning the Giro in debut colours almost immediately justified the signing, while his presence strengthened the team’s Grand Tour depth moving forward.
Pidcock’s influence, meanwhile, underscored a different trend in modern cycling: ambitious mid-20s talents opting for projects designed around them, not just big-budget teams. His votes reflect how strongly that resonated with supporters.
With the first two awards decided — Breakthrough Rider and Signing of the Season — the stage is set for the rest of our end-of-year honours. More categories follow soon — and as ever, you decide the winners.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
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