Most riders are already secured for 2026, many teams have now closed their activity on the transfer market, but not everyone is yet certain of their sporting future. In fact, quite a few well-known names are still desperately searching for a new employer. WielerFlits lists the most notable riders.
photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Will we still see Sam Bennett in the peloton in 2026? And if so, for which team? The Irishman will certainly not be racing for Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale next year. The French team – which will be called Decathlon CMA CGM from next season – recently confirmed this via social media. With a farewell video on X, the French outfit thanked Bennett for his services and victories.
The now 35-year-old Irishman rode the past two seasons for Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale. Bennett was welcomed with much fanfare, but the former top sprinter never quite met expectations. Although he did notch a few wins on French soil.
Bennett is not the only former top sprinter currently in the dark concerning his future. There is no longer a place for Fernando Gaviria on the Movistar team. The still only 31-year-old Colombian reportedly spoke with team management about his future. Gaviria wanted to stay, but the telecom outfit is looking for a ‘younger sprinter for the future.’
The very first Colombian to wear the yellow jersey has been with Movistar since 2023, but his results in recent seasons have been disappointing. In his first year with the team, he found success in the Vuelta a San Juan and the Tour of Romandie, but in 2024 he managed only one sprint win at the Tour Colombia. This season, the former top sprinter did not go beyond a few podium places.
Another well-known Colombian rider available on the transfer market is Esteban Chaves. The ever-smiling Chaves is leaving EF Education-EasyPost after four seasons, and it remains to be seen whether the now 35-year-old climber can still secure a contract somewhere. The heyday of Chaves – the very first Colombian monument winner (with the Tour of Lombardy) and a frequent podium contender in the Giro and Vuelta – is now some time behind us.
This season, Chaves once again played more of a supporting role, though he did still finish in the top 5 at the brand-new climbing race Andorra MoraBanc Clàssica (4th) and 8th overall in the Tour of Austria. Whether this will be enough to extend his career remains to be seen.
Also without a secured spot for 2026 is none other than former world champion and teammate of Chaves: Rui Costa. The Portuguese rider, who recently celebrated his 39th birthday, will no longer race under American contract next year. Despite his advanced age in cycling terms, the all-rounder demonstrated last season that he is by no means done yet.
In the spring, Costa finished fifth in front of his home crowd at the Figueira Champions Classic and in the following race months he narrowly missed the podium three more times in the Tours of Austria and Burgos, and the Trofeo Matteotti.
Another rider in his thirties who finds himself in a difficult spot is Jesús Herrada. The 35-year-old Spanish puncheur and stage hunter was not offered a contract extension by Cofidis. With this French team, he achieved his greatest successes – including three stage wins in the Vuelta a España and the Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge – but in the last two seasons, his real sporting highlights have been lacking.
This year, Herrada’s best results were a handful of podium finishes. He came close to a victory in the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon (2nd), but that was at a lower competition level, with a relatively weak field.
He was one of the revelations of the 2023 Tour de France. Victor Lafay looked ready to storm the upper echelons of cycling after a successful Tour, but a persistent knee injury set him back severely. The Frenchman is still dealing with physical ailments and is even considering quitting professional cycling.
The beleaguered Lafay is still only 29 years old, but the puncheur seems increasingly headed toward the exit. No final decision on his future has been made yet, but he cannot count on an extended stay at Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale. What Lafay can still do was evident in the recent Gree-Tour of Guangxi, where he finished second overall behind winner Paul Double.
Sam Welsford seemed not to have to worry about his future. In fact, according to the well-informed journalist Daniel Benson, the Australian sprinter was already agreed with INEOS Grenadiers in June, but since then it has been (worryingly) quiet.
The 29-year-old Welsford may therefore not move to the British outfit and must look for an alternative team. His current team, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, will continue with the sprint duo Danny van Poppel-Jordi Meeus in 2026.
The cycling news has long been dominated by the impending merger between Intermarché-Wanty and Lotto. This brings considerable uncertainty, especially for riders who need to find a new team. Kobe Goossens currently finds himself in this precarious situation. The 29-year-old Belgian, who was mostly sidelined this year with physical setbacks, cannot count on a contract extension.
"At the moment I have absolutely no idea where my future lies. Everything is uncertain," he told Het Laatste Nieuws earlier this month. "My manager was in talks with other teams, but I personally asked to put everything on hold for now. I also want to be honest with myself. I don’t want to ride at 90 percent of my potential in the peloton. It’s 100 percent or nothing. [...] I am indeed considering that I might need to take a different path."
There has also been worrying silence around Ruben Guerreiro for some time. What we do know is that the 31-year-old Portuguese rider has to leave Movistar. It is also clear that the former Giro d’Italia stage winner is not yet secured for 2026. Guerreiro feared last year that his cycling career might be over due to a double hernia, but last season the punchy climber managed to produce some good results again.
In 2025, Guerreiro finished ninth in the Figueira Champions Classic, tenth in the Grand Prix du Morbihan, and eleventh in the Tour of Oman, but to be honest, the former King of the Mountains at the Giro never truly convinced.
The last rider on this list: Julien Vermote. The experienced Belgian has finished his last race day for Visma | Lease a Bike, but he fervently hopes this was not his last in the peloton. The 36-year-old West Flemish rider recently told WielerFlits in front of the camera: "The passion and motivation are still there, and that’s important. And I also have experience. That is something many teams can use."
At the moment, Vermote is in talks with several teams. "But the market is a bit blocked. It's not a good situation, with the merger between Lotto and Intermarché-Wanty and several teams disappearing. This causes other teams to wait and see which riders will become available on the market. I hope that the merger will quickly create movement; that could open up the market again."
photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
| # | Rider | Age | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 35 | - | |
| 2 | 27 | ||
| 3 | 24 | ||
| 4 | 20 | ||
| 5 | 24 | ||
| 6 | 26 | ||
| 7 | 24 | ||
| 8 | 31 | ||
| 9 | 38 | ||
| 10 | 27 | ||
| 11 | 35 | ||
| 12 | 36 | ||
| 13 | 26 | ||
| 14 | 34 | ||
| 15 | 39 |
| # | Rider | Age | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 36 | ||
| 2 | 28 | ||
| 3 | 22 | ||
| 4 | 24 | ||
| 5 | 23 | ||
| 6 | 23 | ||
| 7 | 26 | ||
| 8 | 26 | ||
| 9 | 27 | ||
| 10 | 29 | ||
| 11 | 27 | ||
| 12 | 25 | ||
| 13 | 25 | ||
| 14 | 25 | ||
| 15 | 26 |
