One of cycling’s most important blocks of the season is well underway: transfer season. As is traditional, August 1 marked the start of when teams will reveal new riders and contracts for the 2026 season, and the moves are in full swing now.

August 1 marked the first day of announcements, but expect transfers to continue to be revealed all the way to the end of the season as riders find new homes for January 1.

You may like

There is also the carousel of stagiaires – young, non-professional riders who are getting trial runs with WorldTour teams in August and the autumn.

Cyclingnews is tracking all movements during the transfer season – everything from contract renewals to extensions to retirements – with our dedicated transfer index across the men’s and women’s WorldTeams and ProTeams.

Van Aert signed his unique career-long contract at the end of last season, while Vos signed her eternity contract in the spring.

Cyclingnews has already highlighted the retirements of several high-profile athletes, including Caleb Ewan, who announced his immediate retirement from pro cycling and Ineos Grenadiers in May, and Geraint Thomas, who will end his career at the conclusion of the 2025 racing season.

Lizzie Deignan, who was set to retire at the end of 2025, announced in July that she would step aside immediately as she is expecting a third child, and her teammate Ellen van Dijk will also stop at the end of the season.

Another high-profile retirement is Romain Bardet, who made his Grand Tour farewell at the Giro d’Italia and ended his career after the Critérium du Dauphiné. Mike Woods will also retire at the end of the this year, as will Tim Declercq.

Transfer speculation and negotiations are expected to intensify, as done deals are announced, but many deals remain in progress even after August 1. Riders and teams in the women’s and men’s peloton are expected to sign new contracts, extend current contracts, or transfer to known teams.

rumours and speculation to circulate through the peloton at this time of year, especially before the August 1 transfer window begins.

The biggest rumour was about Remco Evenepoel’s future, and the much-rumoured move to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe was confirmed – so a lot of rumours do turn out to be true.

Reports suggest that Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale are closing in on a major double swoop for the Visma-Lease a Bike pair, Olav Kooij and Tiesj Benoot, for the 2026 season.

Up-and-coming French talent Kévin Vauquelin, who recently shone at the Tour, could also sign for Ineos Grenadiers in 2026.

On the women’s side, several riders like Tour de France Femmes stage winner Ricarda Bauernfeind are without contracts and potentially on the move.

UCI Road World Championships and the remaining WorldTour events in October. Then, teams head to training camp in December, expecting many of these as-yet-unresolved contract questions to be answered and full rosters to be confirmed.