OPINION | The 5 best transfers of the cycling winter

I’ve always believed transfer seasons reveal more about cycling’s future than most race days. Stripped of finish lines and podiums, moves between teams expose ambition and long-term thinking of each professional outlet. And, the 2025/2026 offseason feels like it has been especially telling. Established stars made calculated shifts, rising leaders chose to leave their comfort zones, and teams showed what they truly value.

From Grand Tour contenders seeking control to sprinters chasing identity, these five moves stood out to me as the ones that will matter not just in 2026, but for the next 5 or 6 seasons.

Ok, so it’s no surprise who my first pick is in this list.

Remco Evenepoel’s decision to leave Soudal Quick-Step and join Red Bull – Bora - hansgrohe stands out as the blockbuster of the 2025/2026 transfer season. This isn’t merely a contractual change: it’s a strategic repositioning of one of the most complete riders of his generation, and the rider most would stick pick as the most likely to challenge either Pogacar or Vingegaard at the grand tours. After years building his palmarès, from World Championships to Grand Tour podiums and one-day success, Remco opted for a fresh environment where he isn’t merely the star but where a team can now be built around him.

As much as this is the blue-ribboned transfer of the year, it is the least surprising. For all the joy Evenepoel has had at Quick-Step, the team never had the budget or resources to truly build a grand tour worthy team around him. One several occasions, Evenepoel was isolated when it mattered most. In 2026, that is far less likely to be the case.

What intrigues me most about this move is how Evenepoel is redefining his career at a critical stage. He’s chosen a setup that embraces shared leadership rather than solitary domination. Racing alongside Florian Lipowitz and under the burgeoning Red Bull project, Remco shifts from being the lone flagship to a figure within a collective counting on complementary strengths. It’s a philosophy that echoes success models from other top teams but applied to a rider whose raw talent few can match.

But, he will have to battle to establish himself as the clear leader, particularly due to the presence of new star Lipowtiz, and of course five time grand tour winner Primoz Roglic.

The next question is what will Evenepoel target in 2026? Yes, the Tour de France seems almost guaranteed, but what about the Giro, and what about a long awaited debut at the Tour of Flanders. The level of strategic depth on offer at BORA, paired with his raw ability, makes this transfer an unforgettable moment in cycling’s landscape.

Juan Ayuso’s switch from UAE Team Emirates-XRG to Lidl-Trek marks more than just a team change, it’s the end of a relationship between team and rider that long seemed doomed to fail. Ayuso, still only in his early 20s, has already shown flashes of brilliance with stage wins in Grand Tours and success in week-long races. But his time at UAE often felt like a story half-told, with immense talent sometimes overshadowed by team dynamics and role constraints.

At the Giro he was usurped by young Isaac del Toro, at the Vuelta he had a very public bust up with his team. Now, they go there separate ways.

At Lidl-Trek, Ayuso will find a structure that promises to balance support with freedom. In his own words, the team offered him real backing for his ambitions rather than a peripheral place in someone else’s strategy This distinction matters. A rider’s development is as psychological as it is physical, being trusted, heard, and placed at the right moments can be the catalyst that differentiates a contender from a perennial hopeful. Ayuso’s move has that potential.

I am still not convinced about if Lidl-Trek is the right team for Ayuso, particvualrly if his end goal is the yellow jersey. Lidl-Trek have such a talented roster, that they left Mads Pedersen behind at the 2025 Tour de France, in favour of building a sprint train around Jonathan Milan. Can Ayuso truly establish himself at Lidl-Trek?

When Olav Kooij agreed to leave Visma | Lease a Bike for Decathlon CMA CGM, it was clear this was going to be more than a change of kit and colors. For years, Kooij’s talent as a sprinter had simmered in the shadow of GC ambitions within the Visma structure, a team built around overall victories rather than bunch sprints. Now, finally, he finds a squad seemingly engineered for his strengths.

What excites me about this transfer isn’t just the fresh start; it’s the narrative reset. A sprinter’s career needs momentum, opportunities to lead, and confidence that comes from being the guy in the finale. At Decathlon CMA CGM, Kooij arrives at a moment of ambition where sprint success is not buried under climbing goals but actively pursued. The team openly targets green jersey aspirations at the Tour de France, giving him the platform to chase stage wins and consistent points classification results.

This move feels right, because it’s not just about who crosses the line first once or twice, it’s about reshaping a rider’s identity within the peloton. A professional cyclist’s story is woven from opportunities, and Kooij’s chance to make the Tour de France debut with a sprint focus is a milestone many great sprinters never get.

In my view, this transfer will be remembered as the moment Kooij stopped being a talented supporting sprinter and started being a cultivated contender. I am very excited to have Kooij join the fray of the world’s best sprinters.

At first glance, Bruno Armirail’s signing with Visma Lease a Bike might not grab headlines in the same way as moves involving GC contenders or sprinters. But as someone who appreciates the subtleties of pro cycling, I view this transfer as a quietly brilliant choice. Armirail brings a depth of experience and versatility that teams often underestimate until race day arrives.

A three-time French national time trial champion, Armirail combines that engine with breakaway skill and decent climbing ability, traits that make him a valuable asset across terrains and scenarios. He’s the kind of rider who can animate a stage, support a leader in the mountains, and control race dynamics when things get messy. At Visma, he helps fill a strategic gap created by other departures, providing both tactical intelligence and physical capabilities.

What I find compelling about this move is its practical impact. In cycling, not every hero across a season is the rider on the final podium step. Many are the ones who make the race harder, who drive breaks, who pull a group back together when it threatens to splinter. Armirail fits that mold, not a singular star, but a consistent contributor whose presence can elevate the team’s collective performance.

In an era where cycling often celebrates raw talent above all else, I appreciate a transfer grounded in value and substance. Armirail may not dominate headlines, but come major races and fighting terrains where tactical nous meets physical resilience, his influence will be unmistakable.

Cian Uijtdebroeks’s leap to Movistar Team was definitely something of a shock, and it is the story of a promising rider choosing a stage where expectations align with opportunity. After parting ways with Team Visma | Lease a Bike, where leadership chances were limited, Uijtdebroeks arrives at Movistar ready to stake his claim in the heart of the Grand Tours.

What strikes me about this transfer is the intentionality behind it. For young riders, career choices aren’t just about money or prestige, they’re about environment and the pathway to potential glory. Movistar, a team with a long history in the Grand Tours, offers both a platform and a tradition that suits Uijtdebroeks’s strengths as a climber and stage racer. In fact, the team has signaled its confidence by placing him in key leadership roles, including at the Tour de France, a rare vote of trust for someone so early in their journey at just 22 years young.

In a sport where riders often linger in domestique roles until their mid-20s, this transfer feels bold. Uijtdebroeks isn’t being sheltered, he’s being entrusted with responsibility, and that says something about both his talent and the team’s faith in him. But will this be too much for the young Belgian considering the injury problems he has suffered over the last 18 months?

So, Evenepoel’s move is rightly framed as the headline act, and it is the transfer that will define conversations well into 2026. But what excites me most about this winter is the depth beneath it. Ayuso seeking autonomy, Kooij chasing a true sprint identity, Armirail adding substance over spectacle, and Uijtdebroeks gambling on responsibility all point to a peloton in transition. That;s what makes this offseason so compelling.

Now, it’s your turn. Which transfer stood out most to you, and which do you think will age best? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.