A closer look at the men’s pro peloton after an intriguing and even strange transfer season.
A decidedly strange transfer season is coming to a close. After contract terminations, a merger, and the shuttering of a long-running team muddied the transfer market for months, the state of the 2026 men’s peloton is finally coming into focus.
With high-profile riders like superstar Remco Evenepoel and headline magnet Juan Ayuso on the move, it will still be some time yet before we can evaluate the various wheelings and dealings with perfect clarity – but that’s not going to stop us from trying to make some assessments now, before anyone has pinned on a number for their new team.
In at least a few cases, it seems pretty obvious that some teams will field stronger squads next year while others will be weaker. Then there are those teams where we’re really not sure what to think just yet. Here’s what we make of the movers and shakers of this year’s transfer season …
Four teams that are getting better
Decathlon-CMA CGM
Big arrivals: Olav Kooij, Tiesj Benoot, Matthew Riccitello, Tobias Lund Andresen
Big departures: Dorian Godon, Benoît Cosnefroy, Victor Lafay, Sam Bennett, Bruno Armirail
Few teams are undergoing as radical a transformation this offseason as Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale, which will see a new co-sponsor (CMA CGM replaces longtime sponsor AG2R La Mondiale) and plenty of big names leaving but others coming aboard. The final product will be way less French and way better at sprinting.
Believe it or not, French national champ Dorian Godon is the most notable departure from a UCI points perspective, though Benoît Cosnefroy would probably have had a stronger season in that department had he not been derailed by injuries. Still, they typify the riders heading out the door: fully capable of the occasional win, especially in France, but unlikely to win anything in that biggest of French races.
Enter Olav Kooij and a whole bunch of lead-out men whose own talents won’t really be reflected in their incoming points totals. At just 24 years old, Kooij already has 47 wins on his career palmares. He won 11 races in 2025, including two stages at the Giro d’Italia. With Kooij leading the way and fellow up-and-comer Tobias Lund Andresen as an alternative option in the bunch kicks, Decathlon will have real opportunities to win consistently at the highest level. On top of that, Matthew Riccitello has signed with the team on the heels of his breakthrough Vuelta a España, where he rode to a surprising fifth overall, while Tiesj Benoot is bringing his extremely versatile skillset over to Decathlon too.
Paul Seixas is the GC prospect of the future for this team, but Riccitello will give them an exciting youngster a little further a long in his development who can already be a standard-bearer for stage races, with fellow newcomer Benoot lending a hand there and pretty much anywhere the team wants to send him. Benoot is a legitimate Classics contender who can also hold his own in the mountains.
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