As is the case every year, there are limited spots to fill within the World Tour and ProTeam ranks. Some riders fail to grab contracts for the upcoming season including big figures in the peloton. We take a look at some who are to be decided into 2023, including Mark Cavendish, Nairo Quintana and Miguel Ángel López.
Seeking to set his name in the history books with a 35th stage win at the Tour de France, Mark Cavendish has been battling to stay at the top level. After not having his way with Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team this year, the Manxman managed to score some victories but was absent from the Grand Boucle, and found a contract with French ProTeam B&B Hotels-KTM which was set for a big budget increase and had virtually automatic Tour wildcards.
The story ended in the worst possible way however, as the team collapsed following the abandon of some of the possible sponsors. In December Cavendish found himself without a contract, and has been rumoured to join several teams. Most convincingly however is Astana Qazaqstan Team, his final World Tour opportunity.
The Kazakh team has terminated Miguel Ángel López' contract, and the freed budget could be ideal to sign the Manxman, who has been seen in Spain riding a bike from the Astana team. Team DSM rider Cees Bol, who was also ready to join B&B Hotels-KTM, is also rumoured to be joining the blue outfit.
Previously mentioned Miguel Ángel López is another big figure. Having been interrogated back in July when returning to Europe due to connections with a Spanish doping ring led by Dr. Marcos Maynar, the Colombian was then fire from Astana Qazaqstan Team after further evidence of his involvement in possible illegal acts.
Although he has not been suspended, López found himself in a very complicated position very late into the year, and there have been no mentions or rumours whatsoever of him returning to racing at the top level anytime soon.
Perhaps most famously, it has been Nairo Quintana who's had the longest story of the summer. After a sixth place at the Tour de France, the Arkéa Samsic rider tested positive in two tests at the Tour for the painkiller Tramadol. Although he has not been suspended, his results from the Tour were nullified as were his UCI points, and his set renewal with the French team was cut.
Quintana rode for three seasons with the French team and was instrumental in it's current rise to World Tour level. Many teams have been rumoured such as Bahrain - Victorious, Astana Qazaqstan Team and several others, but throughout the months many teams denied contacts or interest.
Most recently, Quintana claimed he would be racing the Grand Tours in 2023 and quite likely racing in the World Tour. Over a month has passed however, in what has become one of the biggest ongoing mysteries in the sport, as to this day still no team has officially announced the Colombian.
The most recent rumour had been Israel - Premier Tech, however with only two days left to 2022, Quintana is not connected with any team. In a recent interview, former pro and manager Johan Bruyneel said that multiple teams were threatened to be removed from Tour de France if they signed Quintana. There is no evidence to suggest that is the case, however it adds another layer of mystery to this long saga.
However more riders remain without a contract. Most noticeably perhaps Domenico Pozzovivo, who has ridden for Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux this season, where he performed at a strong level despite being at the age of 40. Recently, team manager Aike Visbeek said that "we simply cannot afford Pozzovivo", who finds himself in a similar situation to last winter.
Max Richeze was also set to a move to B&B Hotels-KTM but is now stranded again on the verge of retirement. Carlos Barbero, Davide Villella, Lachlan Morton, Sebastián Henao, James Piccoli, Yousif Mirza, Alexander Cataford, Matthew Holmes, Oliviero Troia, Michele Gazzoli and Anthony Jullien are the remaining World Tour riders who have not signed for the 2023 season.
With the collapse of B&B Hotels-KTM, several riders were left without a contract, despite their high level. The likes of Alexis Gougeard, Franck Bonnamour, Pierre Barbier and Sebastian Schönberger are among the riders who are expected to continue racing in 2023 but have not yet found a deal, following a mistimed end to their team.
The likes of Eduard-Michael Grosu, Belgian beach racing champion Jordi Warlop and Costa Rican climber Kevin Rivera are among the biggest faces that for the time being, are far from secured to stay in the peloton for the coming year.
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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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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
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Modification of points scale for men’s events in UCI International Road Calendar bit.ly/3PSTauW
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