Nevermind predictions; the coming WorldTour season storylines are already developing quickly.
Cor Vos
The past few weeks Escape Collective – like other media outlets – has run several “predictions for 2026” stories, including one from me. We’ll see what of those comes true. But what the past few weeks have made abundantly clear is that things move pretty fast even when there’s no racing happening.
A peek into the 2026 WorldTour crystal ball
Five predictions for the coming season, eight riders to watch, and accountability for last year’s prognostications.
The 2026 men’s WorldTour season is already chock full of intrigue and questions, with several major storylines emerging or changing since those predictions stories were written. Off the top of my head, here are just a few of the significant developments that bear watching as the season unfolds.
The Derek Gee-West saga
[Note: In November, Gee began using the last name Gee-West after his marriage to fellow Canadian cyclist Ruby West.]
You read it here … eighth?: Derek Gee-West is going to sign with Lidl-Trek. At least, that’s what’s been reported/rumored for weeks now, repeatedly. He’s even been spotted at team camp! Except all that is contingent on the resolution of his contract dispute with the team now known as NSN Cycling. As you’ll recall, Gee-West’s messy divorce from the team is not yet finalized, as the team (and former owner Sylvan Adams) is said to be pursuing a judgment of some €30 million against Gee-West for exiting his contract early. That dispute must be decided by a UCI arbitral board, which has reportedly had the case since at least early October, when Gee-West made his first public mention of the reported damages claim.
As of now, the only team Derek Gee-West is riding for is Canada.
That process has so far been opaque: unknowns include whether it will be heard by a three-member or single-member panel, and of course the timeline. As Morgan Sports Law notes, for contract disputes such as Gee-West’s, the UCI does not mandate an arbitration schedule, instead deferring to the panel to set deadlines for everything from initial written briefs to hearings to its decision. The board can alternately mandate mediation to arrive at a settlement. A decision may also be appealed to CAS, which does not merely rule on existing presentations but starts the whole process over again.
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