Have I graded this transfer with my heart rather than my head? Probably.

Hi Subscribers,

We have a new batch of rider transfers to analyse this morning, and another surprise name looks to be heading to George Hincapie’s Modern Adventure team for 2026.

This would put the team at 21 riders for next year, but we’ve heard they might even go to 22 now. Either way, we’ve got the complete list of 21 riders currently signed or heading to the team in today’s newsletter.

Daniel 🫶

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Victor Lafay 🇫🇷
From: Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team
To: Unibet Rose Rockets
Contract length: One year

The bad news: Victor Lafay’s cheese-making exploits in Japan will have to wait another year. The good news, one of the most relatable, likeable, and talented riders in the world (on his day), is staying for another season after signing a one-year deal with Unibet Rose-Race Rockets. Retirement has been postponed.

The team has signed some mercurial and maverick talents for 2026, but none more so than Lafay, who has fought back from a near career-ending injury to be on the verge of a Tour de France comeback next season. Back in September, when I spoke to Lafay at the Tour of Britain, his career was hanging by a thread and retirement was a real consideration – part of him was even looking forward to it – but the form he displayed in those final races this year showed that the 29-year-old remains a significant talent when fit and motivated.

There’s certainly an argument that Lafay will be better suited to life as a ProTeam rider, where the mechanisms, pressures, and rigour of WorldTour life won’t drain his free spirit – perhaps in the same way another maverick in Juan Román Riquelme thrived at Villarreal after a tough spell at Barcelona. Lafay can be that same athlete, an orchestral figure capable of pure brilliance, and at Rockets, he’ll have a canvas as white as the moon on which to shine and showcase his talents. Putting it bluntly, if he’s on form, he’s the team’s best rider and it’s probably not even close.

My only concern with the signings the Rockets have made, and I’m a big fan of the vast majority of them, is whether they’ve signed riders with their hearts or their heads. For me, Lafay is a luxury signing, but competing against consistent WorldTour opposition is relentless and unforgiving, and while these pages on Substack are filled with sentimentality for what Lafay achieved with his memorable stage win at the Tour in 2023, there is no room for such feelings in cutthroat sport. Still, cycling is about hope and inspiration, and the idea of Lafay arriving in Barcelona for the Grand Depart next season and helping his new team to a maiden stage win is worth taking a chance on with a one-year deal. So, do I like this transfer? Yes, and have I graded it with my heart more than my head? Absolutely.

Transfer grade: A+

Luke Lamperti 🇺🇸
From: Soudal Quick-Step
To: EF Education EasyPost
Contract length: Three years

We’ve already written extensively on this move, having interviewed Lamperti at the start of the week, but he’s a headline rider and probably the most established name set to join EF Education-EasyPost over the winter.