Last day before Transfer Market opens: Kiwi Corbin Strong and Italian Christian Scaroni extend their contracts for two more years

The transfer market officially opens on Thursday, August 1, but there's always time for contract extensions. The latest news concern two important point-scorers in their respective teams - Corbin Strong (Israel - Premier Tech) and Christian Scaroni (Astana Qazaqstan).

Strong made his professional debut with then WorldTour team Israel - Premier Tech in 2022 and since then, he's been a consistent presence on podiums of the smaller WT and biggest .Pro/.1 races, with runner-up at last year's GP Québec as a highlight. No wonder his current team was quick to renew the New Zealander's contract for another two seasons.

The 24-year-old kicked off the season strongly at the almost-home races in Australia where he came second in a stage of Tour Down Under and fourth in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, before narrowly losing to Aaron Gate at the National championships. Then came another podium result at Tirreno-Adriatico. Just ahead of the contract renewal announcement, Strong finished second overall at the Tour de Wallonie, winning a stage along the way.

"Since joining the team I’ve received a lot of trust and opportunities and built great relationships with both staff and teammates," explains Strong about what attracts him at Israel - Premier Tech. "I’m in a great environment to continue my development and perform to my best. Even the races that don’t go well are enjoyable with the group of staff and riders we have in the team. Not just on the bike but off the bike, I really enjoy my time with the team and am excited to be staying through to 2026."

"Corbin is a rider who integrated seamlessly into the team, both on and off the road, when he joined us in 2022 so we didn’t hesitate to sit down with him already last year to extend his contract through to 2026," adds general manager Kjell Carlström.

Just like Strong, Scaroni also joined his current team for the 2022 season, although he only did so at the end of July, having jumper the sinking boat of Gazprom - RusVelo. In the little time at Astana, he quickly proved his worth, earning a contract through 2024, which was now extended until 2026.

While Scaroni is yet to win in the Astana colours, it appears to be only a matter of time with a number of top 5 and top 10 results for the 26-year-old Italian. Scaroni completed a strong Giro d'Italia with 4th and 5th places on stages, but his arguably best result would be the 2nd place overall from last year's Arctic Race of Norway (2.Pro). Scaroni would like to return to the Scandinavian country to win this time: "In a few days, I will start the Arctic Race of Norway, which I really like. Last year, I finished second overall, coming very close to victory but I couldn’t win."

"In fact, these two and a half years with the team have been very good, my level has significantly improved, and I’ve gained a lot of experience that is gradually translating into good results. The progress is evident, and all that’s missing is a victory. But I hope the victory will come soon."

"The team is also growing, evolving, and changing, and I’m happy to be part of this project. This is the place where I can continue to work, improve, and achieve success. I hope to have a strong second half of the season and then perform at a high-level next year. For now, I will focus on the race in Norway," he said in a press release.