Gee, Froome, Carhy, Lazkano... - The pro riders who do not yet have a contract for 2026

2026 starts within a week and there are still over 60 World Tour and ProTeam riders without a contract for the next season. This includes some pretty big names, whose future remains in the unknown. The likes of Derek Gee, Chris Froome, Hugh Carthy and Oier Lazkano are some of the most sounding names on this list.

In the World Tour there are 30 riders who are still without a contract. There are many different reasons as to why this is. Several riders are certain to retire, perhaps most on the list even. Figures such as Hugh Carthy, Ruben Guerreiro and Michael Hepburn, names with a lot of success in the past, are not rumoured to be heading to any team and might see a premature end to their career.

Louis Barré of Intermarché - Wanty has been strongly rumoured to be joining Team Visma | Lease a Bike and has trained with the team too in Spain throughout December, but his signing has not yet been made official. The same can be said of Derek Gee (not World Tour, but similar situation) who was reported to have travelled to Spain to join the Lidl-Trek camp, but on site CyclingUpToDate wasn't able to confirm this.

Oier Lazkano, on paper, is also part of this list. The Spaniard was provisionally suspended due to his biological passport anomalies, but the truth is he is free to be signed and although unlikely, he can potentially be allowed to race next year.

The British Matthew Walls and Jack Rootkin-Gray are on this list, as is the case with off-road specialists such as Sam Gaze (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Gerben Kuypers (Intermarché - Wanty) who used the road to complement their MTB and cyclocross schedules. Red Bull athlete Anton Palzer of Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe is also without a contract, after not fulfilling the potential that the German team hoped of him.

In the ProTeam ranks there is the obvious case of Chris Froome right at the top, who has not confirmed he will retire from the sport, but the announcement appears imminent. The four-time Tour de France winner has not performed at a high level for several years and his contract with Israel - Premier Tech has now ended. With major injuries suffered in a crash months ago, any chances of continuing in the pro peloton have diminished.

Iván Sosa of Equipo Kern Pharma is a relative surprise on this list, however perhaps justified by his diagnosis of endofibrosis in July. This summer, he finished third to Cristián Rodríguez and José Felix Parra, showcasing his climbing talent is still present. The likes of sprinters Job Aberasturi, Attilio Viviani, Daniel Babor and Davide Bomboi and Sasha Weemaes; and Uno-X Mobility riders Amund Jansen and Magnus Kulset are also still looking for a contract.