Updated October 25, 2025 07:41AM
It’s too early to talk about the post-Pogacar era, but a crop of fresh faces is suddenly emerging to scramble the hierarchy of elite men’s racing.
The Big 4 — Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Primož Roglič — will be looking over their shoulder going into 2026 and beyond.
Isaac del Toro, Florian Lipowitz, Juan Ayuso, Oscar Onley, and Giulio Pellizzari — the peloton’s Rising 5 — are muscling into the action.
This quintet of unbridled firepower packs the legs, ambition, and nerve to start challenging the existing pecking order in the elite men’s peloton.
Each one carved out something significant in 2025, with grand-tour podiums, one-day triumphs, and fearless racing that produced the first major tremors to rattle the foundation of the elite men’s peloton since the start of the Pogačar era.
And just like Pog and Vingo did at the start of this decade, these young guns are not waiting for their turn.
The first real tremors
Del Toro dared to mark Pogačar in Rwanda. (Photo: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Cycling is an odd sport. A bigger winner will seem invincible until they’re suddenly not. That can happen in one fell swoop or across several seasons, but when the levee wall breaks, it can be sudden and abrupt.
Ever since the super team era and the rise of the Big 4, Pogačar and Vingegaard have set the tone. Their Tour de France hegemony remains unbroken since 2020, with the pair splitting the last six yellow jerseys between them.
The stage is set for a wild 2026 season, however, with the “old guard” of late-20-somethings having to fend off the Class of 2023.
None of these five is yet a finished product, but each has shown flashes of brilliant disruption.
Except for Onley — who races on the scrappy Picnic-PostNL squad — all of the rising challengers race inside one of modern cycling’s super teams.
Ayuso pried his way out of UAE Emirates-XRG in one of the season’s ugliest divorces, claiming he’d never see GC leadership behind King Pog. Yet Del Toro is thriving in his proximity to the king.
Evenepoel and Roglič now face what’s going to be a very crowded Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe bus, with both Lipowitz and Pellizzari demanding their own space.
Can one of these emerge as the rider capable of taking down Pogačar, or will it be someone else no one is really talking about?
The Pogačar era is far from over. In fact, it’s only now reaching its full splendor. But for the first time, we’re seeing young, ambitious riders starting to shake the palace gates.
Isaac del Toro: Mexican meteorite
Del Toro lit up the back half of 2025. (Photo: Antonio Baixauli/Getty Images)
No young rider electrified 2025 like Mexican sensation Del Toro.
“El Torito” eased into his second WorldTour season but nearly stunned everyone to nearly winning the Giro in May. At just 21, Del Toro races with that rare combination of youthful exuberance and unbridled raw talent.
His late-Giro collapse might have destroyed others, but Del Toro revealed that necessary determination to keep pushing forward no matter what. He delivered the best back half of the season for 2025, racking up 12 victories and going deep into the Rwanda worlds with Pogačar.
Of all the young guns in the peloton, the “Little Bull” looks like the rider most likely to truly disrupt the balance of power.
Why he’s so good: Del Toro is the most versatile among the rising talent. His punch and acceleration are very much in the line of Pogačar, and he’s able to ride away from a reduced bunch or out-kick a group of elite climbers. His climbing is already world-class and improving TT rounds out his growing arsenal.
What’s next in 2026: Plans are not confirmed, but it’s possible Del Toro could ride the Tour alongside Pogačar. The team also has one eye on the future and wants to have Del Toro next in line to take over when Pog finally pulls the rip chord. The other option is to lead at the Giro or Vuelta to knock off a grand tour. TBD.
Limitations: He’s still a bit unproven in the longer distances, especially in the one-day monument-distance races. Experience is also a factor that cost him pink at the Giro. The Tour will be another challenge for the rider from Mexico’s Baja California, but all good things come with time. UAE is famous for going slow with its über-young talents.
Pogi threat (scale of 1 to 5): 3.5 — No one can beat Pog right now, and with Vingegaard established as threat No. 1, Del Toro is showing the courage to at least try.
Juan Ayuso: Spanish ambition
Ayuso hopes a restart at Lidl-Trek will set him on a higher path. (Photo: JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images)
Ayuso is already one of cycling’s most polarizing and popular riders, and he’s not even won a grand tour yet.
Hailed as Spain’s next big thing, Ayuso’s had his fair share of mini-controversies that seem to regularly blow up in the media. His racing chops keep improving, and there’s no denying his self-confidence.
He’s more Evenepoel than Vingegaard when it comes to temperaments. Ayuso wants and expects to win, and when he doesn’t, things can get weird.
Ayuso’s move to Lidl-Trek could be as liberating for him as Tom Pidcock’s transfer to Q36.5 Pro Cycling was for the British dynamo.
The 23-year-old now has an open road to lead at any race he wants. Now it’s up to him to deliver the wins.
Why he’s so good: Ayuso seems to pack all the skills required to win a grand tour. Already an accomplished time trialist and solid climber, Ayuso is a proven winner with 16 wins across time trials, one-day races, grand tour stages, and GC races like Itzulia Basque Country and Tirreno-Adriatico.
What’s next in 2026: As much as Ayuso likes to think he’s world-class, he’s yet to prove it in a major grand tour since his spectacular third-place debut at the 2022 Vuelta. Something always seems to happen. Ayuso needs to have a trouble-free season in 2026 and hit a grand tour podium or better to reconfirm his status as Spain’s best GC rider since Alberto Contador.
Limitations: Inconsistency and a reputation of being “difficult” have haunted him so far in his young career. He’s shown flashes of brilliance mixed in with some controversial flops that have led some to question his potential. His high-profile move to Lidl-Trek gives him a chance to hit the restart button. Expect the goals to be sky high.
Pogi threat: 2.0 — Now that he’s on rival Lidl-Trek, Pogačar will likely go out of his way to knock down any aggression from Ayuso — or any other whipper-snapper for that matter — just to show he’s still the alpha.
Florian Lipowitz: German class
Lipowitz was the GC sensation of 2025. (Photo: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
The oldest of this “Gen Next” group, at 25, he’s following the more traditional trajectory to the top that used to see riders hitting their peak in the mid-to-late 20s.
The German came to bike racing relatively late after rotating out of biathlon, so he’s unlike many of today’s over-performing teenage sensations. Yet his brute, diesel-like consistency delivered a stunning Tour podium, Germany’s first in 20 years.
Why he’s so good: Raw talent mixed with Red Bull’s quickly improving coaching staff saw Lipowitz emerge as one of the most consistent riders in the bunch. He packs an explosive finish with old-school German diesel traits that make him ideal for stage racing.
What’s next in 2026: Evenepoel’s arrival will complicate things inside the budding super team. The Belgian will electrify the lineup, but it will marginalize Roglič and could pinch out Lipowitz. Final calendars are not yet finalized, but Lipowitz could be sent to the Giro to race to win to give Evenepoel a free run at yellow. After three big podiums in 2025 — second at Paris-Nice and third at the Dauphiné and Tour — a big win in 2026 will confirm his rising status.
Limitations: At first glance, his build looks a little too heavy to match the watts-meter against the likes of Pogačar and Vingegaard in the Tour’s highest mountains. The crowded house at Red Bull will see him riding in the shadow of Evenepoel. Off-contract in 2026, Lipowitz could become cycling’s hottest property if he has another big year.
Pogi threat: 3.0 — Most of the Rising 5 are more direct threats to everyone except Pogačar. Riders like Vingegaard and Evenepoel will be looking over their shoulder long before Pogačar ever will, but Lipowitz is the most complete among the young guns.
Oscar Onley: British pedigree
Onley was the surprise packet of 2025, hitting the best UK result since Thomas was third in 2022. (Photo: LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images)
No one more surprised in 2025 than Onley, and it’s just like this type of bolt out of the blue sensation that can rewrite everything.
Not many saw Pogačar as a Tour winner at the start of the 2020 Tour, and Onley’s ride this summer conjured up visions that someday some up-and-comer will stun everyone.
Onley, 23, now has the sometimes unwieldy pressure to confirm it all over again.
Why he’s so good: Of all the breakout riders in 2025, Onley was perhaps the most under the radar. He didn’t arrive at the WorldTour with the same hype as a Del Toro or Ayuso. With only two wins on his palmarès, he’s perhaps the most understated. A stage win and a solid TT led to third at the Tour de Suisse before his breakout fourth at the Tour revealed something is burning much deeper under the calm exterior.
What’s next in 2026: Onley quite literally came out of the woodwork to ride into the top 5 at the Tour. One downside of such a big ride is that it comes packed with pressure to follow it up. Picnic would be wise to send him to the Giro and/or Vuelta to let him make a targeted run at victory and return to the Tour in 2027.
Limitations: Experience and riding on the relatively thin Picnic PostNL — at least when compared to the UAE-Visma super rosters — Onley isn’t going to be riding anyone off his wheel just yet.
Pogi threat: 1.5 — It’s unlikely that Pogačar is losing any sleep over Onley.
Giulio Pellizzari: Italian prince
Pellizzari is Italy’s next big hope. (Photo: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Like Del Toro, this Italian gem is only 21. Two sixth places in double grand tours in 2025 — sixth in the Giro and Vuelta, respectively — reveal his depth and durability.
Pellizzari seems the rawest and most underdeveloped among today’s latest wave of peloton disruptors, and he over-delivered in his first season in the WorldTour ranks.
If he continues on that upward trend, the Italian tifosi will finally have someone to cheer for again each July.
Why he’s so good: Mix Italian grinta with a killer instinct, and it looks like Italy has its first big GC candidate since the days of Vincenzo Nibali. Pellizzari was second to Del Toro in the 2023 Tour de l’Avenir and confirmed his racing chops with standout rides at both the Giro and Vuelta this year.
What’s next in 2026: Red Bull has a very crowded bus for 2026, with half of the Big 4 and two more of the Rising 5 all trying to share one calendar. There will be a touch less pressure on Pellizzari than on Lipowitz, so he could be sent to the Tour to help Evenepoel and be allowed to get a taste of the July’s big dance without much pressure.
Limitations: Depth and experience are things that come with age, something he learned when he cracked on the summit finale at Bola del Mundo to cede the white jersey and the top 5 to American Matthew Riccitello. He will need to improve in time trials if he hopes to win a grand tour someday.
Pogi threat: 1.0 — If the Italian has another big ride like he did when he was second to Pogi in the Dolomites in the 2024 Giro, the Slovenian likely won’t be gifting his sunglasses to him this time.