The real transfer battles are for 2026 riders and they've already started
11 of the best riders on the market in the men's WorldTour for 2026
Most of the headlines around rider transfers right now are based on who is going where in 2025.
We know that Ben O’Connor is going to Jayco AlUla, that Lenny Martinez has packed his bags for Bahrain Victorious, and that Simon Yates will race in Visma-Lease a Bike colours for next year, but while we’re all tallying up who is going where in six months the real talks, and the most important recruitment that WorldTour squads are discussing now, are based on 2026 rosters.
Riders out of contract at the end of 2025 can’t sign deals for 2026 yet, as per the UCI regulations, but that doesn’t mean that teams aren’t looking around and scoping out potential prospects with a view of agreeing terms with athletes they want in 18 months.
Read more: 10 riders still on the men’s WorldTour transfer market
With that in mind, we’ve had a look at the market for 2026 and picked out 11 key riders in the men’s WorldTour who are already - or should be - attracting attention.