{"id":248266,"date":"2025-11-06T23:35:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T23:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/248266\/"},"modified":"2025-11-06T23:35:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T23:35:13","slug":"grading-the-latest-moves-from-inside-the-worldtour-%f0%9f%93%9d","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/248266\/","title":{"rendered":"Grading the latest moves from inside the WorldTour \ud83d\udcdd"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Have I graded this transfer with my heart rather than my head? Probably. <\/p>\n

Hi Subscribers,<\/p>\n

We have a new batch of rider transfers to analyse this morning, and another surprise name looks to be heading to George Hincapie\u2019s Modern Adventure team for 2026. <\/p>\n

This would put the team at 21 riders for next year, but we\u2019ve heard they might even go to 22 now. Either way, we\u2019ve got the complete list of 21 riders currently signed or heading to the team in today\u2019s newsletter. <\/p>\n

Daniel \ud83e\udef6<\/p>\n

Follow me on: Twitter<\/a> \ud83d\udfe2 \u2014 Instagram<\/a> \ud83d\udd34 \u2014 Bluesky<\/a> \ud83d\udd35<\/p>\n

Victor Lafay \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7
From: Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team
To: Unibet Rose Rockets
Contract length: One year<\/p>\n

The bad news: Victor Lafay\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s 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\u2019t drain his free spirit – perhaps in the same way another maverick in Juan Rom\u00e1n 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\u2019ll have a canvas as white as the moon on which to shine and showcase his talents. Putting it bluntly, if he\u2019s on form, he\u2019s the team\u2019s best rider and it\u2019s probably not even close. <\/p>\n

My only concern with the signings the Rockets have made, and I\u2019m a big fan of the vast majority of them, is whether they\u2019ve 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. <\/p>\n

Transfer grade: A+<\/p>\n

Luke Lamperti \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8
From: Soudal Quick-Step
To: EF Education EasyPost
Contract length: Three years<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve already written extensively on this move<\/a>, having interviewed Lamperti at the start of the week, but he\u2019s a headline rider and probably the most established name set to join EF Education-EasyPost over the winter. <\/p>\n