UCI WorldTour: Evenepoel, Girmay et al reshuffle the elite

Major transfers marked the off-season

UCI WorldTeams set off for a new campaign. As well as ambitions for the 2026 UCI WorldTour season, the teams have an important goal that takes them through to the end of 2028: retain their spot in the Elite of road cycling over the new three-year licence period.

These shorter- and longer-term visions led to some major moves ahead of the Santos Tour Down Under (20-25 January).

New outfits rise to the front with Lotto and Intermarché-Wanty merging into Lotto Intermarché, Switzerland-based NSN Cycling Team taking over from Israel-Premier Tech, and Uno-X Mobility stepping up to UCI WorldTeam status alongside Alpecin-Premier Tech, Bahrain Victorious, Decathlon CMA CGM Team, EF Education-EasyPost, Groupama-FDJ United, Ineos Grenadiers, Lidl-Trek, Movistar Team, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Soudal Quick-Step, Team Jayco AlUla, Team Picnic PostNL, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, UAE Team Emirates XRG, and XDS Astana Team.

GC stars on the move

To build on the successful results over the 2023-2025 period that allowed them to become a UCI WorldTeam, Uno-X Mobility still count on Scandinavian riders with the likes of Torstein Træen (NOR), Anthon Charmig (DEN), and Storm Ingebrigtsen (NOR) joining them in 2026. The Lotto Intermarché merging has also led to many moves, and brought together talents such as Arnaud De Lie, Lennert Van Eetvelt, Georg Zimmermann, Jarno Widar, Felix Ørn-Kristoff… In the meantime, Biniam Girmay has joined NSN Cycling Team after making several historic steps during his time with Intermarché-Wanty.

Other teams had a steadier off-season when it comes to ownership and sponsorship, but many still proved to be very active in the transfer market as they aim to bolster their squads and battle for the highest prizes. The biggest name among the transfers is undoubtedly Remco Evenepoel, with the Belgian superstar moving from Soudal Quick-Step to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe to continue his quest for Tour de France success alongside riders such as Florian Lipowitz and Primož Roglič. A most reliable domestique in Grand Tours, Mattia Cattaneo followed Evenepoel from the Belgian team to the German team.

Among the most active teams in the off-season, Lidl-Trek snatched Juan Ayuso Pesquera and Derek James Gee to significantly bolster their climbing groups alongside Giulio Ciccone and Mattias Skjelmose.

Meanwhile, a (French) revolution has been at play within the ranks of Ineos Grenadiers. As Geraint Thomas retires and takes on a new Team Manager role, the British outfit acted early to sign Tour de France sensation Kévin Vauquelin and French National Champion Dorian Godon. Much more recently, the team also announced the transfer of Oscar Onley. The young Briton turned 23 years old last October after a brilliant summer riding for Team Picnic PostNL (3rd in the Tour de Suisse, 4th in the Tour de France). Can these new riders bring Ineos Grenadiers their first Grand Tour win since Egan Bernal’s Giro d’Italia in 2021?

French riders should also be essential to Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s success this season, as the Dutch team has high expectations for the return of Christophe Laporte (affected by illness in 2025) and signed Bruno Armirail and Louis Barré.

Classics ambitions

With the Evenepoel era at Soudal Quick-Step coming to an end, the Belgian squad return their focus to the Classics, with the ambition to reclaim a cobbled Monument (they last won Ronde van Vlaanderen in 2021, and Paris-Roubaix in 2019). They’ve notably brought in Monument winners such as Jasper Stuyven (from Lidl-Trek) and Dylan van Baarle (from Team Visma | Lease a Bike).

Other significant moves when it comes to the Classics include Tiesj Benoot going from Team Visma | Lease a Bike to Decathlon CMA CGM Team, along with Olav Kooij. The French squad also signed young climber Mathew Riccitello, rising puncheur-sprinteur Tobias Lund Andresen, and established powerhouses such as Daan Hoole and Cees Bol. In the meantime, Stefan Küng left Groupama-FDJ United to join the ambitious UCI ProTeam Tudor Pro Cycling Team.

Will such moves shake off the balance of power in a field most recently dominated by Alpecin-Premier Tech, with Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen, and UAE Team Emirates XRG, led by Tadej Pogačar? The latter also receives the support of established puncheurs Benoît Cosnefroy and Kevin Vermaerke, while the young Spanish climber Adria Pericas Capdevila steps up from UAE Team Emirates Gen Z. In the meantime, emblematic climber Rafal Majka retired at the end of the year.

A few names left, many remained, and more stars are in the making. Welcome to the 2026 UCI WorldTour!