"You look at Tom Pidcock and he took a chance leaving Ineos" - Could James Shaw's future lie outside the World Tour?

At the end of October, EF Education-EasysPost rider James Shaw looked towards social media to help in his efforts to find a contract into 2026. So far he hasn't yet succeeded, but has gathered quite a lot of attention and his performances should be enough to land the Briton another year in pro cycling.

“As of yet I’ve not received an official answer from EF so I am waiting to see what happens. A lot of people assumed I was staying and my agent and I remain hopeful," Shaw shared with CyclingWeekly. "But a lot of teams filled up so potentially it was a mistake on my behalf.”

This isn't the case with EF however, who continue to have plenty positions open for next year, but whose transfer tactics are not fully clear. Big figures such as Richard Carapaz and young talents Archie Ryan or Lukas Nerurkar don't have an official contract for next year as of the time of writing; and by this time of year it becomes very difficult to sign new leaders. There aren't too many riders on the market either, and Shaw could in theory still fit in the team's planss.

“I don't think my situation is due to a lack of results or performances. I feel like my results show that I perform well in those top races," he argues confidently. "I also think that the sport is going in the direction of quantity or quality: you see guys racing less and less but at a higher level and the toll of racing is getting more and more. For me to have the performances I have had and still had the quantity of race days was impressive I think".

But all possibilities are open. Even the end of his career at 29, after finding himself in a complicated position already for a third time. “I never said that and I am not contemplating nor considering retirement. I’d prefer to stay at EF as I’ve built a good relationship with the riders and the staff, but if I have to go somewhere else, maybe a change would be nice". 

After seeing lots of ProTeams signing big World Tour leaders in recent years (Tudor, Unibet and Q36.5 being good examples) Shaw believes that taking a step to the lower division may not be a step back at all as well:

“Maybe riding for a ProTeam, being a slightly bigger fish in a smaller pond, and being given a free role to ride for myself every race would be good for me. You look at Tom Pidcock and he took a chance leaving Ineos but it was probably the best thing that has ever happened to him," Shaw argues. "It might be nice to be in a team like that as it’s not always a step down".

He admits that at the time being his contact list isn't empty, but most likely includes racing in Asia where many pros go for a large but more modest calendar. “I have offers to go and race for lower-level ranked teams, and also reasonably nice offers to go and race in different parts of the world".

However what he truly desires is the European calendar and the traditional calendar that he has raced throughout his entire career, and wants to continue proving himself as a rider: "But I still think that I can race and compete at the highest level and in Grand Tours and that I am deserving of that place," he concluded.