The week long sprint-fest needs to shake up the format; why not add a 30 km time trial?
Ellen van Dijk and Sarah Roy ride through the wheel tunnel before the final stage of the Simac Ladies Tour
Cor Vos, Gruber Images
Good day, and thank you for opening this week’s Wheel Talk Newsletter. Today: more transfer updates, some news about the Worlds start list, thoughts on the Simac Ladies Tour and more.
First things first: Transfer news
Over the last week, a few more transfers have trickled in. Here are the big ones:
Letizia Borghesi from EF Education-Oatly to AG Insurance-Soudal. This one was a bit of a surprise, given the success Borghesi had with the American team in her four years there, especially after she got second at Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift last spring. But perhaps the Italian was keen to try her luck in pastures new. She’s signed a two-year deal with AG Insurance-Soudal and adds to the team’s growing Classics squad. They excelled at stage races this year, but when it comes to the Spring Classics, Borghesi will be a fantastic addition.
On Tuesday, EF Education-Oatly announced its first new signing for the 2026 season – Alice Towers. The former British road national champion joins the American team after three seasons with Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto and will add her domestiqueing strength to EF’s Grand Tour ambitions with Cédrine Kerbaol and Noemi Rüegg.
Borghesi second at Paris-Rouabix Femmes
Uno-X Mobility announced the signing of two Italians to their team – Alessia Vigilia and Laura Tomasi. Tomasi joins from Laboral Kutxa-Fundacíon Euskadi, and Vigilia joins from FDJ-Suez.
Another of the Ceratizit riders has found a home at Cofidis – Kristýna Burlová. The Czech national champion had some good finishes in lower-level one-day races this year, including fifth at Ronde de Mouscron and sixth at Festival Elsy Jacobs à Garnich.
Kopecky did the jersey justice, that’s for sure.
Other notable news separate from transfers: Lotte Kopecky will skip the World Championships. After two years of seeing Kopecky in rainbows, the jersey will pass to new shoulders, and Kopecky will wear her standard SD Worx-Protime kit in 2026. That will be a weird sight to see, but maybe in June she’ll reclaim the Belgian national champion’s jersey from Justine Ghekiere.
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