"If there is any team that is able to pull Jakobsen out of this hole, it's going to be Visma"
CyclingTuesday, 04 August 2026 at 15:00
The transfer market has opened officially this Saturday, 1st of August, and plenty of interesting moves have already been made public. On the CyclingUpToDate Podcast, Rúben Silva and Gavin Quinn have discussed Netcompany INEOS' loss of Victor Langellotti; Mikel Landa's return to Euskaltel and, amongst others, Fabio Jakobsen's Team Visma | Lease a Bike rumour.
Transfer market opens officially
The 1st of August marks an important date in the cycling world. The 'third act' of the season is underway, as Gavin Quinn pointed out, and the racing dynamics are different at this point of the year. That is mostly because contract negotiations and discussions flood the peloton at this time of year, as everyone looks to secure or improve their future.
Only a few big-name transfers have been made official thus far. Mauro Schmid to Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team is one of them.
"In many ways, it makes sense. But to me, in many ways, it doesn't make sense. It's a funny one, but he's an incredible rider who's probably going to go down as one of the higher-caliber transfers of the off-season, when all is said and done," Gavin Quinn said of the Swiss rider.
The Swiss team has been linked to plenty of riders. Its budget boost reportedly led to a €2 million euros a year offer for the Team Jayco AlUla rider, whilst five other riders have been heavily linked to joining him: Jan Castellón, Sebastien Berwick, Pavel Bittner, Tom Crabbe and Tommaso Dati.
During the last few weeks, a distant rumour has emerged in the peloton: Primoz Roglic could be in discussions with a second-division team.
"If you have deep pockets and you're thinking about even Primoz Roglic, it's just one of those good pieces of business, I think," Quinn added.
But to him, Schmid - a Tour de France stage winner and Top10 in the UCI rankings - is a great transfer with a lot of potential. "When it comes to transfers, we see a lot of bad pieces of business when it comes to reputation, salaries, and what's going to happen in the next year or two. But this is a good one".
One other is that of Mikel Landa, who signed a two-year deal with Euskaltel - Euskadi, the team that brought him to the top level as a youngster, and also the team he helped revive in the late 2010's.
Landa's move back to the Basque Country will put Euskaltel back on the map, aiding its future and ambitions in the top races over the coming years.
"I think we've seen a renewed Mikel Landa maybe in 2024, summer 2025. He's struggled a lot with injuries and just timing of illnesses, et cetera, this year. So I'm happy to see him go. And if it's a two-year project to try and get an invitation to Vuelta a España for a goodbye Grand Tour, it just makes a lot of sense, right?"
Alpecin - Premier Tech also announced a treble of big signings, all WorldTour riders with immense quality, potential - or both: Iván García Cortina of Movistar Team; Casper van Uden of Team Picnic PostNL; and Madis Mihkels of EF Education-EasyPost.
In the backdrop of Kaden Groves' expected departure, the team quickly found new men to fill the position of second sprinter in the team, whilst bringing in Cortina in a surprising move for the Spanish rider.
"These are quite Alpecin riders, if I could stereotype an Alpecin rider, who's going to be either a brilliant help to Mathieu Van Der Poel or Jasper Philipsen in spring," Quinn argued.
Cortina, especially, is an interesting rider to join the Belgian team's ranks, but one with tremendous potential. "You can't say that he's not going to be a huge asset to that team. I can see him achieving success with Alpecin".
Ivan García Cortina is amongst Alpecin - Premier Tech's signings for 2027
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Fabio Jakobsen hinted to be joining Visma
The duo also discussed the departure of Fabio Jakobsen from Team Picnic PostNL, made immediate and official on the 3rd of August. Wielerflits reported that the Dutch rider could potentially be heading to Team Visma | Lease a Bike, leading to a long conversation on what could follow.
"If we were to create a hypothetical situation where Jakobsen becomes a Visma rider today, what's he doing for the rest of the season?" Quinn questioned.
"He's kind of come out the better on this side, and maybe leaving in August could be the better thing to build for next season and have that kind of winter base of training and get the body back to where it needs to be".
Rúben Silva, on the other hand, believes that if a move is to happen, it will come with immediate effect - but also with a lot of risk, as Jakobsen has struggled with multiple health issues and also with the rise of the level in the peloton over the past few years.
"I would like to give my opinion on Jakobsen in a way that is not overly brutal, but it's hard to do so. And this is not his fault. Obviously, he's had health issues, but I believe Tom Dumoulin said it best a few weeks ago or months ago: His level is not that of a professional rider at this point".
The 29-year-old hasn't won since the 2024 Tour of Turkey, but most notably hasn't finished in the Top10 of a race since March 2025. The difficult period at Picnic is a dire example of the team's demise over the past few years.
But Silva argues that for Jakobsen, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for his career. "If there is any team that can pull Jakobsen out of this hole, it's going to be Visma".
"Visma are, to me, the team that really nails the details of professional cycling the best. They know what to do, they know how to prepare their riders, and we've seen several riders take big leaps. We don't even have to go far; if you look at the Simon Yates 2025 project. If they can bring up Jakobsen the same way, maybe there's something they can do there".
"I would love to see that comeback story. Am I positive about it? It takes a lot of what-ifs and a lot of stretches... But never rule them out, because in the past he is a five-time stage winner at the Vuelta a España, stage winner of Tour de France four years ago. It's going to be a nice story to follow".
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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