Teams & Riders The Great Big Cycling Transfers, Extensions, and Rumours Thread

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Hessmann in line for a shock move to.... Movistar!

 
Yes, I'm sure. The Belgium stage is his only x.Pro win this year.
The way it's written with "this year" in the middle, I'm afraid, it looks like "this year" applies only to the first part of the sentence, about Lazkano, so I parsed it as "neither of them have won a WT race this year" "and" "Aranburu has 1 pro win", as opposed to "this year" "neither of them have won a WT race" "and" "Aranburu has 1 pro win".

The way that you intended it, it's very much true, but the way it reads, it's demonstrably false.
 
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I think the Spanish NC means more to Movistar than a stage in the Tour of Belgium. I also find it likely that Aranburu could have taken a victory or two in the first months of the year, if he hadn't broken his collarbone on Mallorca. That said, he's obviously not and probably never will be a winning machine.
 
On the topic of Tour invites. Does anyone know how the guaranteed Wild Card spots will work for the 2026 season. For next year they will still be with Lotto and Premier Tech unless something dramatic happens the next 2 months but after next season there is also the WT reshuffling happening. So if Lotto and PremierTech are the 2 best ProTeams in 2025 as well there is no need to give them Wild Cards since they will very likely be in the WT already. So who would then get the 2 guaranteed spots? Would it go to the next 2 highest ProTeams in 2025 or does any WT teams demoted to ProTeams also become part of the equation?
 
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On the topic of Tour invites. Does anyone know how the guaranteed Wild Card spots will work for the 2026 season. For next year they will still be with Lotto and Premier Tech unless something dramatic happens the next 2 months but after next season there is also the WT reshuffling happening. So if Lotto and PremierTech are the 2 best ProTeams in 2025 as well there is no need to give them Wild Cards since they will very likely be in the WT already. So who would then get the 2 guaranteed spots? Would it go to the next 2 highest ProTeams in 2025 or does any WT teams demoted to ProTeams also become part of the equation?

Demoted WorldTeams become part of the equation.
 
On the topic of Tour invites. Does anyone know how the guaranteed Wild Card spots will work for the 2026 season. For next year they will still be with Lotto and Premier Tech unless something dramatic happens the next 2 months but after next season there is also the WT reshuffling happening. So if Lotto and PremierTech are the 2 best ProTeams in 2025 as well there is no need to give them Wild Cards since they will very likely be in the WT already. So who would then get the 2 guaranteed spots? Would it go to the next 2 highest ProTeams in 2025 or does any WT teams demoted to ProTeams also become part of the equation?
It should be based on points scored in 2025 by teams not WT-teams in 2026.
It’s way too early to say who it’s going to be of course, but as it looks just now it will be the two teams that scores the most next season from Arkea, Astana, Uno-X and Tudor.
 
Nicola Conci to Astana.

It's getting frustrated to be a fan of Alpecin tbh. Never really a factor on hilly or mountain races, but they don't keep even the smallest talent they have in that front. Vine gone, Conci gone, probably SKA and Laurance as well.

From the 15 riders confirmed for 2025 in PCS, Hermans and Meurisse are the better climbers of the lot, says it all.
 
Nicola Conci to Astana.

It's getting frustrated to be a fan of Alpecin tbh. Never really a factor on hilly or mountain races, but they don't keep even the smallest talent they have in that front. Vine gone, Conci gone, probably SKA and Laurance as well.

From the 15 riders confirmed for 2025 in PCS, Hermans and Meurisse are the better climbers of the lot, says it all.

They simply can't. They don't have the budget for it. And they choose to keep their winners, which is pretty logical. I agree tho, I have had it myself with Lotto when they were completely nowhere when it went uphill, it's just boring. But at least Alpecin wins almost every cobbles classic and a lot of GT stages every year.

Also they are massively overpaying Hermans, that was just a dumb transfer. It will be good for them when his contract finally ends.
 
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Ewan to Astana? Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Makes me wonder why Astana could not get Groves, Money could not have been the problem.
Vino really has his work cut out, if he thinks they can survive as a WT team after next year.
 
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