🚨 10 riders heading to the Tour de France with unclear contract situations ✍️
From Dunbar to Haig, Aranburu to Vauquelin
Hi Subscribers,
We’re starting the week with a feature on 10 top-level riders heading into the Tour de France with their contract situations still unclear.
For some, it might just be about signing the deal already offered to them, while for others, the Tour could provide an opportunity to chase a lucrative contract.
After a couple of days away from my laptop, I’m just getting back into the swing of things, so I’ll have a more detailed plan on my pre-Tour coverage later today. I head to Lille later this week!
Daniel 🫶
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Pascal Ackermann 🇩🇪
Team: Israel - Premier Tech
The 31-year-old German has experienced a rather underwhelming couple of years since joining from UAE Team Emirates, with only one win in the past 18 months. Currently out of contract and attracting interest from several teams, Ackermann was far from a guaranteed selection for Israel-Premier Tech’s Tour de France roster, but he made the cut. Now he has the biggest stage of all to prove that he is still relevant when it comes to discussing the world's best sprinters. He was close to a stage victory last year at the Tour, with several top-five finishes, but he’ll be desperate to claim his first Grand Tour stage win since 2023. Given his selection and what we’ve heard, the most likely scenario is a contract extension with his current team. However, if it isn’t signed, we might see a team swoop in during one of the Tour’s rest days.
Alec Segaert 🇧🇪
Team: Lotto
We’re still waiting for Lotto to announce their Tour de France team, and even with Segaert likely to move at the end of the season, it would be especially harsh not to see the Belgian on the start line in Lille this weekend. His Grand Tour debut would be a baptism of fire in many ways, and the 22-year-old has only raced one WorldTour stage race in his career. A top-ten contender for a time trial stage, he should use this Tour outing as a vital opportunity to gain experience and build for the future. He’s widely expected to sign for Bahrain Victorious, but until that announcement is made on or after August 1, we have to wait and see.
Segaert’s teammate, Jarrad Drizners, is also on the Lotto longlist for the Tour de France. He made his Tour debut last year and is also out of contract at the end of the campaign. Our sources have indicated that Jayco-AlUla have looked at him for 2026.
Jack Haig 🇦🇺
Team: Bahrain - Victorious
The Bahrain-Victorious management confirmed to us last week that Haig was moving on after five years with the team. It appears he has also changed agents in the past couple of seasons, having once been represented by Cadel Evans’ and Caleb Ewan’s rider agency. Now with one of the more recognised and largest agencies in Europe, Haig has attracted interest from several teams. We are aware that initial talks with Jayco-AlUla took place earlier this year, but those discussions have since cooled, suggesting that Haig has already secured a spot on another team for next season. He might not be the same rider who made the podium at the 2021 Vuelta a España, but the 31-year-old is still a dependable super domestique and a potential stage winner if the stars align. If he’s still on the market - which feels unlikely at this point - then the Tour is the perfect shop window to remind everyone of his talents.