Cycling Transfers: Ethan Vernon, Michael Valgren on their futures đ
Vernon, who missed out on Tour selection, has made a decision; Valgren wants to continue his career; a Lidl-Trek womenâs U23 team is on the way, and Double and EulĂĄlio extend
Hey Subscribers,
Weâre back in the press room, drying out after a pulsating stage 5 of the Giro dâItalia, and analysis featuring the main protagonists and Jai Hindley will follow later this evening.
In the meantime, we have a bumper newsletter on the cycling transfer market featuring one of the best sprinters of the season, Ethan Vernon, as well as Michael Valgren, breaking news on Lidl-Trek building a U23 womenâs team for 2027, and contract extension news for Paul Double.
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Just a reminder, thereâs a huge 25% sale on annual subscriptions right now, so for less than ÂŁ1 a week you can read all the Giro content, race analysis and breaking transfer news. Just click on the link below.
And some breaking news that came in as I was putting this newsletter together:
Afonso EulĂĄlio extended his contract with Bahrain - Victorious for 2027 and 2028 just before the Giro dâItalia.
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Vernonâs verdict đŹđ§
One of the best sprinters in the menâs field this year has been Ethan Vernon, with the NSN Cycling Team rider winning four times since the start of 2026. In fact, heâs arguably been his teamâs best rider this season, and on stage 1 of the Giro dâItalia, he finished a creditable third.
Vernon is also one of the many sprinters on the transfer merry-go-round, and there have been rumours of a possible switch to Jayco AlUla over the last few days. At the start of stage 5 this morning, I caught up with the 25-year-old, who certainly didnât stamp out any such speculation, and if you read between the lines, his future could sit beyond NSN. According to Vernon, heâs already made a decision on his future, terms have been agreed with a team - although that could still be NSN - but a contract hasnât been signed just yet.
âObviously, itâs a contract year. Iâve had good offers from some teams, and I think that it will come out in the next months, I guess, but I think that I know where Iâm going in the future⊠or staying. I canât say yet. Nothing has been signed, but an agreement has been made,â he told me when I brought up the subject ahead of the stage.
Time is often short at the start of stages, but I specifically asked about the links with Jayco AlUla.
âThere were a lot of teams, as you would expect after four wins, but it was nice to have interest and to go through the process of seeing where it fits best. A decision has been made, but I wonât say anymore,â Vernon replied.
Earlier in the conversation, I asked how the arrival of Biniam Girmay had affected his position coming into the season. The new signing came from IntermarchĂ© on a long-term deal and was positioned to be the teamâs number one sprinter. Vernon has four wins to Girmayâs two at this point in the campaign, and he likened the situation to that of last year, when Pascal Ackermann was on the squad.
âYeah, I guess I had it the last couple of years with Pascal, and I had to work out my strengths and where I could get my own opportunities. In the end, it didnât change too much; it just switched from Pascal to Biniam, but the team gave me a good opportunity at the Giro. Obviously, I was meant to go to the Tour, and I got flicked a bit from that when Girmay came, which was a bit of a disappointment, but here we are at the Giro, and Iâve got to make the most of my opportunities Iâve been given,â he said.