While most teams have more or less finished their homework for 2026, there are still some squads that need to fill the last spots in their line-ups. In the WielerFlits Podcast, we have already taken the pulse of this winter’s transfer season to answer the question: what are the five best transfers so far?
For that top 5, our team comes up with only four names. This is because INEOS Grenadiers still have some room to maneuver. They have openings and are looking for a certain profile. Derek Gee seems an obvious choice, but there could possibly be one or two more riders joining. In the latest podcast episode, you’ll hear which names are in discussion. The other four riders that our reporters Maxim Horssels and Youri IJnsen see as the most striking are Juan Ayuso, of course Remco Evenepoel, Olav Kooij, and Kévin Vauquelin.
photo: fotopersburo Cor Vos
When Horssels asks which transfer has the most value, IJnsen gives a striking answer. “For me, it’s definitely Ayuso moving to Lidl-Trek,” he says. “Evenepoel makes the collective at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe stronger. But Ayuso elevates Lidl-Trek to a higher level. That’s why this transfer feels bigger to me than Evenepoel’s.” Horssels calls it a bold statement. “Remco is among the big five, that doesn’t apply to Ayuso. Evenepoel is currently one of the biggest riders. When he changes teams, that ranks at the top, for me.”
The difference between Ayuso and Evenepoel
IJnsen only partially agrees. “Lidl-Trek is a top team in the classics thanks to Mads Pedersen. In sprints, it’s the same with Pedersen and Jonathan Milan. In the Grand Tour races, they have two spearheads in Mattias Skjelmose and Giulio Ciccone. Very good riders, but they are not among the very best in that field. To me, Ayuso swims in the area between them and the world elite. Given his age, he has the potential to keep progressing. After all, he has already stood on the podium of the Vuelta a España.”
Future teammates Ayuso and Skjelmose - photo: fotopersburo Cor Vos
“For me, that is the extra layer Lidl-Trek gains, besides their classics and sprint strength,” our reporter continues. “If you consider that, they have a solid team with Ciccone and Skjelmose. Add Ayuso, and suddenly they have a top player in that domain. If you put Evenepoel in the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe mix for that aspect, of course, it also makes them stronger. But they were already top in that area. Florian Lipowitz placed third in the most recent Tour de France, while Primož Roglič and Jai Hindley have already won Grand Tours for that team.”
According to IJnsen, they increase their chances of a new General Classification win in a Grand Tour with the arrival of Evenepoel. But Lidl-Trek also gains that chance now with Ayuso on board, something they haven’t had in recent seasons. For IJnsen, that is the difference between the two transfers, and that’s why he prefers the Spaniard’s move. “You’ve convinced me,” says Horssels. “For the competitive tension in the races, it’s good news that the top riders are more spread out. It’s great that Ayuso now races separately from Tadej Pogačar. Now just Isaac Del Toro is missing,” he concludes.
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