Juan Pedro López has moved from Lidl-Trek to Movistar. Can he find his best form after several quiet seasons? Photo courtesy of SWpix.
The transfer market rarely moves in straight lines, and this year has been no different. Teams have balanced long-term projects with short-term needs, dipped into the U23 and junior development ranks for talent, and taken calculated risks on riders who needed a change of environment.
The result is a window defined by quiet, structural decisions as much as blockbuster moves for the likes of Remco Evenepoel and Juan Ayuso.
As we begin our ranking of the top 100 transfers ahead of 2026, the first group – from 100 to 71 – reflects that blend of potential, pragmatism and opportunism.
For background, I’ve included U23 promotions in the list, which has been whittled down from a database of around 200 male riders from the WorldTour and ProTour levels, with a few exceptions added.
There are still a few riders unsigned, such as Derek Gee and Sam Welsford, but we’ve cut the rankings from Dec 1. If a major move takes place in the coming days, we’ll revisit the list. The next batch of riders will be published in the next two days.
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100 – Gleb Syritsa 🇷🇺
From: XDS Astana Development
To: TeamXDS Astana Team
The Russian was demoted from Alexander Vinokourov’s WorldTour team at the start of the year but makes a welcome return for 2026. This year wasn’t great for the 25-year-old, with just one win to his name, but in 2.Pro level races he can hold his own. He’ll have a tougher race programme over the coming season, but this is a second chance that he can’t afford to pass up.
99 – Elmar Reinders 🇳🇱
From: Team Jayco AlUla
To: Unibet Rose Rockets
Reinders joined Jayco to lead out Dylan Groenewegen in the sprints, and he’s following his teammate across to Unibet Rose Rockets for next year. At 33, he still has plenty to give, and he’ll bring experience no matter how 2026 pans out. Ultimately, however, lead-out riders are judged on how well their sprinters finish the job, so if Groenewegen looks good, then so will Reinders.
98 – Alessandro Pinarello 🇮🇹
From: VF Group РBardiani CSF РFaizan̬
To: NSN Cycling Team
They’ve had a strange transfer window, have NSN when you consider some of the extensions they handed out and the fact that they doubled down on their sprint core. They don’t have anyone for GC unless Derek Gee comes back. On the fringes, though, they’ve picked up another climber with Pinarello joining. He’s young, 22, finished top-ten in the Giro Next Gen a couple of years ago, and looks decent but not spectacular. If he can learn from the likes of George Bennett and company, he should find the transition to WorldTour relatively straightforward.
97 – Dries De Bondt 🇧🇪
From: Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team
TO: Jayco-AlUla
We know that Jayco-AlUla needed more cover in the Spring Classics, where they’ve been light in recent years, unless Michael Matthews has been on song. With a limited budget, the team didn’t have a huge amount of wiggle room, hence the signing of Dries De Bondt, who, at 34, is a bit of an all-rounder, who, of course, won that Treviso stage in the Giro d’Italia a few years ago. Age is a factor, but he does bring experience. The question I have is, who is he going to impart that knowledge to?