POLL: Who was your Signing of the Season for 2025? — Vote now for CyclingUpToDate's End of Year Awards

If 2025 was the year of the breakthrough, it was also a year when a few high-profile moves changed the shape of the peloton entirely. Some transfers delivered instant Grand Tour glory, others revitalised careers, and a few quietly proved to be the glue that kept whole projects together.

We’ve shortlisted eight riders who made the biggest impact in their debut seasons with new teams. But who impressed you most? Who was your Signing of the Season? Read through our list and vote below in the 2025 CyclingUpToDate's End of Year Awards.

When Tom Pidcock left INEOS Grenadiers for Q36.5, plenty wondered if it was a step down. Instead, it turned into the move of his life. The Briton finished third overall at the 2025 Vuelta a Espana, claiming the first Grand Tour podium for his new squad and proving he could lead a team of his own. Add stage wins at the Vuelta a Andalucia and the Arctic Race of Norway, plus his first ever GC success at the AlUla Tour, and Pidcock’s bold transfer suddenly looks visionary.

Perhaps the biggest signing of the winter delivered the biggest possible return. In his very first Grand Tour in Visma colours, Simon Yates won the 2025 Giro d’Italia, snatching the Maglia Rosa on the penultimate mountain stage and avenging his heartbreak on the Finestre from a few years prior. It was Visma’s second Giro crown and Yates’ second career Grand Tour title – a statement that both rider and team still sit at cycling’s summit.

France’s Tour de France drought on Mont Ventoux finally ended thanks to Quick-Step’s new recruit. In his debut season with the Belgian outfit, Paret-Peintre conquered the Giant of Provence, taking Stage 16 and France’s first Ventoux win in 23 years. Earlier he claimed a stage and two classification jerseys at the Tour of Oman, signalling a rider reborn after his transfer from AG2R. Few signings have offered such instant national pride.

Part of Red Bull’s ambitious rebuild, the young Italian wasted no time showing he belongs among the elite. Pellizzari finished sixth overall at the 2025 Vuelta a Espana, winning his first Grand Tour stage and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of Vingegaard, Almeida and Pidcock. Add to that a 6th place from earlier in the year at the Giro d'Italia and it starts to look like a coming-of-age season that proves BORA’s new Red Bull-powered GC project already has depth well beyond its headline stars.

At only 22, Martinez made Bahrain look shrewd from the moment he signed. The French climber won WorldTour stages at Paris–Nice, Romandie and the Dauphiné, before wearing the polka-dot jersey for several days at the Tour de France and finishing third in the mountains classification behind Pogacar and Vingegaard. A debut season of relentless aggression that confirmed Bahrain’s belief in him as their next GC cornerstone.

A perfect signing for a team chasing every terrain. Vermeersch delivered from day one, finishing fifth at Paris–Roubaix 2025 while shepherding Pogacar to second place, then capped his season by becoming UCI Gravel World Champion. For UAE, it was exactly the versatility they needed – a powerhouse who can dictate classics and win rainbow stripes in the dirt.

The British national champion turned out to be one of INEOS’s most quietly effective additions. Watson claimed the Tour de Romandie prologue, took the overall at the 4 Jours de Dunkerque, and pulled on the red-white-and-blue jersey after winning the national road race. A season that blended visibility, reliability and results – the very definition of a good signing paying off.

Experience was the currency Astana needed, and Ulissi delivered in full. The Italian veteran extended his 16-season winning streak by taking a solo victory at the Giro dell’Appennino, briefly wore the maglia rosa during the Giro d’Italia, and piled up the UCI points that helped Astana preserve their WorldTour licence. Not the flashiest signing – just the most quietly indispensable.

From Grand Tour glory to clutch-season survival, these eight transfers all changed their new teams’ fortunes in 2025.

Who do you think was Signing of the Season? Cast your vote below – and we’ll reveal the fan-favourite winner in a week’s time.