"Teams look only at the UCI points - After five years in the WorldTour I expected more": Lotto-Intermarché merger leaves talented Italian's career hanging in the balance

Kevin Colleoni is heading into winter training with no contract, no guarantees and a brutally honest assessment of how the sport currently values riders. As the merger between Intermarché - Wanty and Lotto leaves dozens of riders scrambling for places, the 26-year-old Italian has found himself as one of the unexpected casualties of a shrinking job market.

After five consecutive seasons at WorldTour level, Colleoni admits in conversation with Tutto Bici Web, he believed his experience and profile would have generated far more interest than the reality he is facing now.

“The truth is that at the moment I have practically nothing in my hands. Between mergers and teams closing there are far fewer places in the peloton. And teams look only at the UCI points you can bring. Of course, after five years in the WorldTour I expected a bit more interest, but this is the situation.”

With Intermarche choosing not to renew his deal ahead of their 2026 partnership with Lotto, Colleoni has been forced into what he calls a “do-it-yourself” winter, training without a race programme, without a camp, and without clarity on what comes next.

Colleoni’s current predicament is rooted in a turning point few would have noticed at the time: a seemingly routine crash at the 2022 Coppa Agostoni. What looked minor on the day became the start of a long, frustrating spiral of back pain, adjustments and therapy that derailed his trajectory.

“That crash really put me on the ropes. I have not been able to get back to who I was. The sensations I had on the bike were no longer the same. I tried everything – changing my position on the bike, changing the saddle, physiotherapy – and this year, all things considered, my osteopath and I managed to find a balance. I cannot say I am like I was before, but by working in the gym I can live with it, and this year, at times, I found the sensations of my early years. Overall, though, the last two years have been negative. I have not enjoyed myself and now I am looking for a project that can relaunch me, that can help me return to who I was before. Because I know I am not the rider seen in these two years – I can give much more.”

It is a stark contrast to the rider who, as an under-23 talent, finished 3rd at the Giro Next Gen, 2nd at GP Capodarco and Trofeo San Vendemiano, and posted top-10s at the Czech Tour, Tour of Oman and Tour de Hongrie in his first professional seasons.

But the current market is unforgiving. Colleoni doesn’t hide that he may need to step down a level simply to keep his career alive. “I am willing to listen to everyone and drop down a category, do a smaller calendar and chase some results to show that I am still here. Of course, there is a limit to everything – I have no intention of going back to race with the amateurs just to avoid standing still, or doing an exclusively Asian calendar, with all due respect. I need to relaunch myself and show I can perform at a certain level.”

With teams now gathering for pre-season camps, Colleoni is preparing alone, trying to maintain a professional rhythm in the hope the right offer arrives before the end of the year.

“I cannot say I am calm, but I am not living it too badly either. I have started riding again as if I had a team and later on I will get support from a coach. Mentally it is more difficult, but you manage. I am giving myself until the end of the year, after which I think I will pull the brake a little… Plan B? I am thinking about it, but I would rather not. My priority is to continue being a rider.”

For now, Colleoni’s future hinges on whether a team is willing to look beyond UCI points and see the still-untapped potential of a rider who, not long ago, was considered one of Italy’s most promising climbers. The clock is ticking — but the determination remains intact.