Uncertain futures? The top riders without a contract for 2026

After opening at the start of August, the 2025 rider transfer window has been open for three months already, with plenty of riders having opted to switch teams and sign new deals for 2026 and beyond in that time.

There are plenty of riders who have to announce a team for next year, however, with the futures of a swathe of the men's and women's pelotons still unclear.

The loss of several teams – including Arkéa-B&B Hotels due to sponsor withdrawals, Intermarché-Wanty via the Lotto merger, and Ceratizit – has swamped the market with riders seeking new deals.

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In recent days, several riders, including future Q36.5 racer Sam Bennett, have confirmed their futures, while several riders without confirmed contracts – including Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), and Michał Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers) – are seemingly set to stay at their current squads.

However, for some, the future is still unclear, with the final deals to be made over the coming weeks and months and teams fill up and confirm their rosters for next year. Will everyone find a spot?

Without further ado, here's a look at the most notable names who remain without confirmed contracts for 2026.

Rui Costa (EF Education-EasyPost)

Thirty-nine-year-old former world champion Rui Costa is one of several EF Education-EasyPost riders who have no confirmed contract for 2026. He joins one other rider on our list – see below – as well as Jefferson Cepeda, Esteban Chaves, James Shaw and others in the same situation, though the team currently only has 19 confirmed riders for next year.

The veteran Portuguese racer may be years removed from the peak of his career, but he can still bring home a result here or there. This year, he scored fifth place at the Figueira Champions Classic as well as a second place at the Trofeo Matteotti and stages of the Tour of Austria and Vuelta a Burgos.

He may not be a rider able to bring home World Championship titles or Grand Tour stages anymore, but Rui Costa could still offer something to a team in the role of road captain.

Editor's note: Rui Costa announced his retirement shortly after this article was published.

Fernando Gaviria (Movistar)

Colombian sprinter Fernando Gaviria moved to Movistar in 2023 to rejuvenate his career after four challenging years with UAE Team Emirates. He's only scored three wins in his time with the Spanish team, however, with his most recent coming at the Tour Colombia in early 2024.

Gaviria hasn't won a Grand Tour stage since the 2019 Giro d'Italia during his first season with UAE, while the peak of his career came during his early pro years at QuickStep. He's scored four top-five placings in 2025, though no top-three results anywhere this season.

Gaviria is still just 31 years old, so he technically has plenty of time left to contribute on the bike. It's hard to imagine that there'll be a clamour to sign a sprinter who doesn't bring home results, however.

Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon-Sram Zondacrypto)

Australian veteran Tiffany Cromwell has been with her current team since the 2015 season, making 2025 her 11th straight year with the Women's WorldTour squad. The 37-year-old hasn't yet confirmed her future for 2026, however. Was this her final season on the road, or will she re-up for another year at Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto?

In recent years, she's taken to gravel racing with aplomb, winning Gravel World Series events, the 100-mile event at Unbound Gravel, a national title, and taking first place (though not the title) at the 2023 European Championships. Cromwell would certainly thrive if she switched to full-time gravel racing, but it remains to be seen what her choice for next season will be.

Victor Lafay (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale)

Twent-nine-year-old Victor Lafay is only a couple of seasons removed from the biggest successes of his career, having won stages of the Giro d'Italia in 2021 and Tour de France in 2023, both wins coming either side of an Arctic Race of Norway triumph in 2022.

His two most recent seasons, spent at Decathlon AG2R following a switch from Cofidis, have been more challenging, however. In 2024, he was out of action until July with a knee issue, while this year he missed another four months in the middle of the year due to another knee injury, which required surgery.

Lafay told Cyclingnews at the recent Tour of Guangxi that he's "50-50" on whether to stay in the sport, so this one is a wait-and-see.

Hugh Carthy (EF Education-EasyPost)

Like Rui Costa, British climber Hugh Carthy is another name at EF whose future has yet to be determined. The 31-year-old at one point looked set to be the next British GC contender, recording a third place at the 2020 Vuelta a España as well as top 10s at the Giro d'Italia in 2021 and 2022.

However, recent seasons have seen him fall down the pecking order at EF and he hasn't raced a Grand Tour since taking on the Giro-Vuelta double back in 2023. A sixth place at O Gran Camiño in 2024 remains his best result of the past two seasons, while he didn't manage to pick up a top-10 placing in 2025. He hasn't raced since taking on the Andorra MoraBanc Clàssica back in June. Was that his final race in EF colours?

Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious)

Much like Carthy, Jack Haig was a GC contender once upon a time, racing to third place at the 2021 Vuelta a España as well as recording a string of top results at week-long stage races such as Paris-Nice and the Critérium du Dauphiné.

The 32-year-old hasn't hit those same heights in the past two seasons, though he's still featured as a road captain figure in some of the biggest races of the calendar for Bahrain Victorious, starting the Tour and Vuelta in each of the past two seasons.

Haig may not be challenging at the top of GC as he once did, but his experience is still invaluable, and so it wouldn't be a surprise if he has already agreed to stay with Bahrain for next season and beyond – the team currently has several spaces left to fill on its 2026 roster.

Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv-AlUla-Jayco)

Ruby Roseman-Gannon is another Australian racer on our list. After turning pro in 2022, she broke through in 2023 and 2024 with a string of good results, including top fives at the Classic Lorient Agglomération and the Tour Down Under, plus a stage at the Tour of Britain Women and the Australian national title.

2025 was a quieter season for the 26-year-old, with no similar top results to speak of. She's coming to the end of her fourth season at Liv-AlUla-Jayco, with the team continuing next season despite missing the UCI's initial deadline for Women's WorldTour licence and bank guarantees earlier this month. The team has 13 riders under contract for 2026 – will Roseman-Gannon slot in to an extra spot?

Luke Lamperti (Soudal-QuickStep)

US racer Luke Lamperti is at the end of his rookie two-year deal with Soudal-QuickStep, and with the team at 30 riders for 2026, it looks like he'll be moving on next season.

Lamperti started his debut season last year strongly with several podium spots at the Challenge Mallora and Tour of Oman, as well as seventh place at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne. He also made his Grand Tour debut at the Giro d'Italia, won a stage of the Czech Tour, and took fourth at the Deutschland Tour.

This season, another Czech Tour stage, podium spots at Nokere Koerse and the Bredene Koksijde Classic, and a fifth place at the Giro's closing stage, were among his standout results. The Californian has shown he belongs among the pros, and at 22, he still has plenty of time to develop further, too.

Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Deceuninck)

Austrian time trial champion Christina Schweinberger is coming to the end of a three-year stint at Belgian squad Fenix-Deceuninck, but the time trial specialist hasn't yet confirmed her future for 2026 and beyond.

The 29-year-old is one of the top time triallists in the world with podium spots at the European and World Championships on her palmarès. She's also a solid Classics rider, too, having scored four podium places across Binche Chimay Binche and the Dwars door het Hageland.

Schweinberger rounded out her 2025 season with a podium spot at the Chrono des Nations, and with her Fenix-Deceuninck team currently only having eight riders under contract for 2026, it looks like there's plenty of space to retain her services.

Sam Welsford (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

Now that Sam Bennett has found a home for 2026, Sam Welsford is one of the final sprinters without a contract for next year. Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe officially have one spot left for 2026, but it's widely believed that Welsford is moving on, after not being selected for the Tour de France this year, and the team putting their sprinting efforts into Jordi Meeus and Danny van Poppel.

The question is, where is he going? According to rated transfer journalist Daniel Benson, he was in talks with Ineos Grenadiers, but those may have stalled, and no deal is official yet. The sprinter market is particularly tricky, with riders wanting not just a contract, but a confirmation that they will be the prioritised sprinter with a good lead-out, so time is running out for Welsford to find a suitable home if he hasn't inked a deal yet.

Other notable names

Beyond our list of the top names with contracts still unannounced for 2026, there are plenty more riders who haven't yet decided on their future in the sport. Here's a list of some other notable riders who don't have a publicly confirmed team for next season.

Women: Emilia Fahlin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Clara Koppenburg (Cofidis), Nina Kessler (EF Education-Oatly), Romy Kasper (Human Powered Health), Ella Wyllie (Liv-AlUla-Jayco), Veronica Ewers (EF Education-Oatly), Ilaria Sanguineti (Lidl-Trek), Lotte Claes (Arkéa-B&B Hotels)

Men: Ben Swift (Ineos Grenadiers) Florian Sénéchal (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Esteban Chaves (EF Education-EasyPost), Jesús Herrada (Cofidis), Ruben Guerreiro (Movistar), James Shaw (EF Education-EasyPost), Lucas Hamilton (Ineos Grenadiers), Andrea Pasqualon (Bahrain Victorious)