CyclistAre cyclings longest contracts proving worthwhile?The last few years have seen extra-long contracts dished out to cyclings top superstars, with some even lasting lifetimes, but are those kind of commitments worth it? How does a team and a rider justify an indefinite partnership?Robyn has had a look at 12 of the longest current WorldTour contracts to see how theyve paid off so far and what more needs to be done to justify the deals.The lifetime contractsA.S.O./Thomas MaheuxA trio of riders have so far been handed incredible lifetime deals. Wout van Aert and Marianne Vos for Visma-Lease a Bike and Mads Pedersen with Lidl-Trek. Wout van AertA dedicated team player and master of all trades, Van Aert is no stranger to seizing opportunities when theyre presented, boasting stage victories at all three Grand Tours, a points classification jersey at the Tour de France and a Monument. All are worth their weight in spades.Van Aert is always a prominent figure in the peloton. Whether it be leading the bees in the Classics, eyeing stages in Grand Tours or helping teammates like Simon Yates and Jonas Vingegaard to priceless Grand Tour victories, he is indispensable. However for all his fanfare in one-day races, the Belgian has only won a single Monument Milan-San Remo in 2020. The five years since has seen podiums in Paris-Roubaix and Lige-Bastogne-Lige, but he only managed fourth at Flanders and Roubaix in 2025 and has fallen behind Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogaar in the pecking order. Visma-Lease a Bike were presumably expecting more when the deal was signed in 2024. Visma-Lease a Bike described Van Aert as a culture carrier, and even prior to his lifetime deal a move elsewhere seemed improbable. They fit together like pieces of a puzzle, with Van Aerts pedigree allowing him to aim for his own goals in both road and cyclocross, while being a key cog in helping teammates achieve theirs too. Sure, he might have only managed three road wins since penning the lifetime deal but the spectacle of his Paris stage win at last years Tour de France and strade bianche win at the Giro prove that he can still win the biggest races in cycling. Hes one of the best leaders to learn from too, which will be massive for the development of Matthew Brennan, who looks suited for a Van Aert-esque role on the squad in the years to come.While he enters this year already recovering from an injury suffered in the cyclocross season, the 31-year-old could make his season debut at Omloop Nieuwsblad against Mathieu van der Poel, and it set to return to Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo, two races he has not taken part in since 2021 and 2023 respectively. Hell head to the white gravel roads with a new confidence after his victory in the Giro last year. And we all know anything can happen in Paris-RoubaixHes set to race at both the Tour and the Vuelta too, the latter with which he has some unfinished business after crashing out while holding both the points and mountains jerseys in 2024. If a Monument win is too much this season, some form of Grand Tour jersey should be on the cards. He doesnt need them to justify his lifetime deal though, for return on investment its still a no-brainer for Visma, Wout van Aert is a star.2026 goals: Monument win, Grand Tour jersey, working with BrennanMarianne VosA lifetime contract should be happy it has Marianne Vos, not the other way around. As one of, if not the greatest cyclist of all time, it was only befitting that she receive a lifetime contract last April. World Championships in cyclocross, gravel and road, Classics galore, and an Olympic gold medal are just a slither of her extensive palmars of over 250 victories. Any team would offer the 38-year-old a lifetime contract without hesitation, she brings immeasurable valuable to her squad and whose knowledge should be soaked up like a sponge.Vos has been front and centre in the growth of womens cycling throughout the years. Shes always calm, level-headed and gets the job done a natural born winner if there ever was one. She has been a constant figure at Visma-Lease a Bike since joining in 2021, winning Grand Tour stages across La Vuelta Femenina, the Giro dItalia and the Tour de France Femmes in addition to being a fierce Classics contender, winning Omloop Nieuwsblad, Dwars door Vlaanderen, the Amstel Gold Race and World Championships in both cyclocross and gravel, and she is yet to show any signs of slowing down.While there is not much left for her to win, this season Vos has circled Strade Bianche, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix on her calendar. She has somehow never won Strade Bianche, her best result came in 2020 with a sixth place. As for the other two, she last won at Flanders over a decade ago in 2013 and finished just off the podium in 2024, and was denied victory at the inaugural Paris-Roubaix Femmes by Lizzie Deignans epic solo attack and has a pair of fourth-place finishes in the last two seasons.2026 goals: Strade Bianche or Paris-RoubaixMads PedersenFormer World Champion Mads Pedersen and Lidl-Trek are a match made in heaven. He is the teams figurehead in the Classics, and one of the pelotons most formidable riders in one-day races. His most successful Classic has been Gent-Wevelgem, with three wins to his name including back-to-back victories in 2024 and 2025. Later in the season hes made a habit of winning points jersey, taking home the top sprinters prize at both the Giro and Vuelta last year while teammate Jonathan Milan did the same at the Tour. Theyre set to swap jobs this year, with the Tours famous green jersey one of his main aims this season.However when it comes to his biggest target, the Monuments, the Dane cant crack the top step. Hes come closest at the Tour of Flanders with second places in 2018 and 2025, with several daring moves just sniffed out, and hes finished third twice at Paris-Roubaix in 2024 and 2025, never able to hold onto Mathieu van der Poels explosive attacks. So, where does he go from here? Milan-San Remo seems like a race built for a versatile sprinter like Pedersen, but with the way Pogaar lights the race up its a tough ask. He understandably couldnt stay with the winning move last year and in 2024 he raced to a best place of fourth in a group sprint. Winning here isnt in the realm of impossibility, but he seems more set on the cobbles of Flanders and Roubaix. Hes capable of outsprinting just about anybody should he come to the line with the lead group, so it should be within his grasp. However his 2026 hasnt started how hed have hoped, suffering a fractured wrist and collarbone at the Volta a Comunitat Valenciana. His palmars needs an extra push for this deal to prove successful, a green jersey would help that but a Monument win would certainly pay back Lidl-Treks trust.2026 goals: Monument win, Tour de France green jerseyContracts through 2030Billy Ceusters/Getty ImagesBuckle up, because almost all this entire section is dedicated to UAE Team Emirates XRG. Something the team seems to be handling well is balancing the future with current success and even combining both with Isaac del Toro who is contracted through 2028. Currently four UAE riders have put ben to paper through 2030 in Tadej Pogaar, Pablo Torres, Jan Christen and AdriPericas.Tadej PogaarFive-time Il Lombardia champion, four-time Tour victor, two-time World Champion and just about everything else under the sun, Tadej Pogaar is already being touted at the greatest cyclist of all time, and, notably, at only 27 years of age he has what feels like a fair few years left until his peak dips. The only surprising aspect of this contract is that it is not a lifetime deal it should be. The Slovenian has been at UAE Team Emirates for his entire WorldTour career and if anyone deserves a lifetime commitment, its him. Although with the talent the team is developing, they may be thinking very strategically, lest they end up in a Chris Froome situation. Pablo TorresWhen Pablo Torres was at UAEs development squad in 2024, he piqued interest with second places at both the Giro dItalia Next Gen and Tour de lAvenir. Not many can claim a stage win on the Colle delle Finestre, but thats exactly what the young Spaniard did in the latter as he won the day by over three and a half minutes. His best result in his first pro year in 2025 was a podium at the Giro dAbruzzo, but his standout performance came at the Tour Down Under, where on the queen stage to Willunga Hill he made the early breakaway and tested his legs by jumping away with Juan Pedro Lpez of Lidl-Trek. Before they were reeled back in he enjoyed some time out in front and claimed mountains points in the process. Hes one to watch for a potential big step forward this season.Jan Christen21-year-old Jan Christen made headlines for his unusual behaviour at the AlUla Tour last month, but his talent shone through regardless. On the final day, a GC-deciding trip up Harrat Uwayrid, he launched a 6km solo attack for victory and rose to the top of the overall standings to take the first stage race win of his pro career. With Juan Ayusos departure, expect Christen to take on a role similar to Del Toro last season as the Mexican steps up even more.AdriPericasFormer junior National ITT Champion AdriPericas was circled as having qualities suitable to UAEs long-term project while on their development squad, proven by a sixth place at the U23 Lige-Bastogne-Lige and seventh place at the Giro Next Gen. That versatility is exactly what this team looks for. Hes only 19 still, so 2030 isnt too much of a commitment should he not meet expectations.This is UAEs production line strategy. While they dont need Torres, Christen or Pericas to become the next Pogaar while the real one is still firing, theyre mopping up some of the worlds most exciting talents just in case they strike gold. Its the same strategy that has borne fruit with Del Toro, but also can create problems like we saw with Ayuso. Speaking of2026 goals for UAE: Not letting the ball on development drop while Pogaar keeps winningJuan AyusoJuan Ayuso unceremoniously departed UAE Team Emirates early after breaking his contract, which was set to end in 2028, even calling the team a dictatorship before jumping ship to Lidl-Trek. Lidl-Trek do not have Grand Tour pedigree, but they have budget and this is clearly an avenue they want to go down considering the signing of Derek Gee-West too. Ayuso is a fascinating prospect. In the last season alone, the 23-year-old triumphed on stages at both the Giro and the Vuelta in addition to winning Tirreno-Adriatico and finishing second at the Volta a Catalunya. He also blew up at the Vuelta though, unable to help leader Joo Almeida in key moments. When hes good, hes great, but Lidl-Trek might need to know how to manage the moments when he isnt. On paper Ayusos talents make it a no-brainer, but the length of this contract is a risk considering the red flags at UAE. At the end of the day though, maybe this change is exactly whats needed. For it to work out, Lidl-Trek will want to see Ayuso take them to new heights in the GC department. A Grand Tour podium in the next two years must happen.Should aim for: Grand Tour podium and developing teamwork Related Posts All the WorldTour cyclists retiring in 2026 'I remain grateful for the amazing support I still receive': Julian Alaphilippe Q&A How should Lidl-Trek, UAE Team Emirates XRG and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe spread their GC wealth in 2026? Wout's World: Which other pro riders deserve lifetime contracts? Through 2029A.S.O./Billy CeustersBen HealyDuracell bunny Ben Healy extended his contract with EF Education-EasyPost to run through 2029 in a marriage that makes total sense. The team is a perfect environment for Healys strength in prioritising explosive breakaways, one-day triumphs and stage victories over Grand Tour podiums. Healy has been in pink since his days as a rookie and has shown enormous growth, with 2025 his best year so far including a brief stint in the maillot jaune at last years Tour, and thankfully he wants to continue focussing on stage wins and Monuments for as long as possible. Hes performed well in the Ardennes, taking a second place at Amstel Gold in 2023 and managing a third and fourth over Lige-Bastogne-Liges placing fourth and third over its hilly parcours, but on this contract its time to take the step up to winning a major Classic or a Monument. Keep an eye out for more stage wins in Grand Tours too. Who else is going 50km out apart from Pogaar and Evenepoel?2026 goals: Major Classic winPaul MagnierThe departure of Remco Evenepoel has freed up Soudal-QuickStep to revert to their bread and butter: sprints and Classics. Paul Magnier is only 21 years of age but is already making waves in both of those disciplines. He racked up 19 wins last season, dominating the sprints at the 2.1 stage races like the Okolo Slovenska and Cro Race before winning five out of six stages at the Tour of Guangxi, while he also managed second at both Omloop Nieuwsblad and Le Samyn. Give him some more time and he should become the star name for this squad by the time his contract is up.Should aim for: Further development and experience in the ClassicsThrough 2028Billy Ceusters/Getty ImagesSD Worx-Protime have two of the longest contracted riders in the Womens WorldTour, who are also two of the best in their fields with Lorena Wiebes and Lotte Kopecky. Honestly theyre due contract extensions at this point.No one is able to beat Wiebes in a sprint finish. With 23 victories to her name last season including the return edition of the womens Milan-San Remo in addition to a national title, a general classification triumph at the Simac Ladies Tour and even the Gravel World Championship, she is simply unstoppable.Wiebes palmars alone makes up the bulk of wins for SD Worx-Protime. Kopecky is aiming to turn her fortunes around after a less-than-prosperous 2025, which only saw three wins for the Belgian. The good news is that this absence of wins is an anomaly, if she can get things clicking again and avoid injury, she will be a force to be reckoned with throughout the Classics, into the stage races and potentially into Worlds. Anyone would be fortunate to have Kopecky on their squad, she was instrumental in Wiebes Milan-San Remo win, won the Tour of Flanders, gave her all at Paris-Roubaix and rode to a strong fifth in Lige in her down season. It could be a lot worse. She hasnt quite hit the level she wanted in her search to be a GC contender, but even with that considered a serial Monument winner, stage winner and World Champion is worthy of a big contract. Should aim for: Continuing their two-pronged attack throughout the ClassicsThe post Are cyclings longest contracts proving worthwhile? appeared first on Cyclist.

Lara Gillespies chances of even a minor placing on Fridays stage 2 at UAE Tour looked dead and buried as the field swept around a right hander deep inside the final kilometre. However, the Irish woman mustered a fast finish from the chaos to snatch 5th place. There was no doubting the winner; Lorna Wiebes []

Overall World Cup XC Champion, Olympian, Leadville winner and record holder, and XC Marathon World Champion are just a few of the many accolades Kate Courtney has achieved in her impressive cycling career. This weekend, shell be able to add starring in a Super Bowl commercial to her growing list of accomplishments. Oakley and Meta are teaming up for a commercial featuring Kate, along with a number of other prominent athletes and personalities, to push the Vanguard Meta AI sunglasses.Over the years, Kate Courtney has made a big impact on the sport of mountain biking. Her World Cup Overall in 2019 was the first for an American in 17 years, and undoubtedly helped to inspire the next generation of American mountain bike talent. In addition to simply being an inspiration, Courtney has also worked to empower women through mountain biking and get more females into the sport through her She Sends Foundation.Now, Kate Courtney is taking mountain biking about as mainstream as it can possibly go a Super Bowl commercial. In the Oakley Meta ad, shes starring alongside director/actor/activist Spike Lee, NFL superstar Marshawn Lynch, and others. And although the ad will clearly be promoting Oakley and Metas AI sunglasses, it will also be putting one of the most successful and influential female cyclists of our generation, and the sport of mountain biking, in front of billions of eyes across the globe. Bravo. View this post on Instagram A Super Bowl commercial is certainly big news, but were looking forward to seeing whats next for Kate Courtney and the She Sends Foundation. One thing we do know is that shell be teaming up with her toughest competition from Leadville and the only other woman to go sub 7 hours Melisa Rollins for the Absa Cape Epic. Well be watching the She Sends Foundation team as they take on the world March 15-22, 2026. Best of luck to Kate and Melisa!shesendsfoundation.orgThe post Mountain Biking Makes It to the Super Bowl in Ad Featuring Kate Courtney Crash Testing New Shades appeared first on Bikerumor.

It's taken a bit longer than Team Jayco AlUla have hoped for, but Mauro Schmid finally won their first race of 2026. The Australian team would've certainly preferred to tick off this box already on home soil during the Tour Down Under or Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, but ultimately the Swiss ch...

The UAE Tour Women 2026 held its second stage on Friday with Lorena Wiebes confirming herself as the overlord of mass sprints with a back-to-back stage victory. However much of the focus also fell on the potential consequences of Marlen Reussers heavy crash. Stage 2 of the UAE Tour Women ended und...

Members of the public in Cork City are being asked to get behind the wider adoption of 30km/h speed limits in the city, campaigners have said.The move to set 30km/h speed limits in cities and towns was delayed when the Government abandoned a system that would have made 30km/h the base limit for urban areas. The new system of councils rolling out the lower limits has started.Cork City Council hae not yet outlined what roads and streets they an to reduce the limit from 50km/h to 60km/h, but they out lined that guidlines say 30km/h speed limits should be applied to housing estates, other residential streets, roads and streets adjacent to schools, and roads in the urban area where there is significant and regular interaction with vulnerable road users.The council also pointed to guidelines that state that higher speed limits may apply within the urban area on National, Regional, and arterial roads, as well as on key public transport routes, dual carriageways, and motorways. It added that a lower speed limit of 20 km/h may apply in pedestrian zones, shared spaces and narrow laneways.The councils public consultation runs until next Friday, February 13th, and details of it can be found at consult.corkcity.ie. Campaigners said that public support is key.Without a strong voice from the people of Cork, were concerned that the slow, piecemeal rollout of lower speeds will take many decades, said the Cork Cycling Campaign. The group said: Were writing to draw your attention to Cork City Councils speed limit consultation and to ask you to make a submission calling for lower speed limits in Cork. While the government signed up to the Stockholm Declaration on a default 30 km/h urban speed limit, it pushed the responsibility for rolling out this vital road safety measure to local authorities. Without strong public support for lower speed limits, this is unlikely to happen anytime soon. We need your help! Cork Cycling Campaign said that it strongly supports 30km/h in urban areas, with exceptions for arterial roads. For people willing to take further action, the group recommends contacting councillors and explaining your concerns to them, and asking them to support a broad rollout of 30km/h limits. Safety is the main motivation for lower speed limits. A collision between a person and a car at 30 km/h is fatal in 1 in 10 collisions, but chances of surviving plummet with vehicle speed, falling to 50% at 50 km/h and 10% at 60 km/h. Higher speeds also produce more noise and air pollution, making nearby areas less pleasant for everyone, they said. The campaigners said that lower speed limits will not necessarily increase travelling times as most trips are slowed down by congestion or features such as traffic lights.The Cork Cycling Campaign said: Perhaps you live in an estate with short streets and kids playing outside. Unless there are speed limit signs saying 30 km/h, the official and legal speed is 50 km/h, however inappropriate and dangerous such speeds are. And this matters: we want our kids to be able to play outside and enjoy their own neighbourhood, and to grow into confident and independent people. That wont happen with vehicles speeding around.

Women's cycling enjoyed a rapid boom in the last few years. The ladies were long overshadowed by their male counterparts who have been in the spotlight for a century. But that started to quickly shift, also thanks to a new generation of star riders Demi Vollering, Lorena Wiebes and Lotte Kopecky who...

Even though Mathieu van der Poel is viewed as one of the two best (active) cyclists in the world, there are substantial problems suffocating the sport of cycling in the Netherlands. Race organizers already have their heads full of worries with growing problems of holding races, as the problems dont...

At least five Irish riders are in with a chance of riding Tour de lAvenir this year despite the recent news the race will be contested by trade teams rather than national squads representing countries from all over the world. The event, regarded as the U23 Tour de France, has often been the only chance []

Here the the UCI points tables for the women and like the mens tables, their tucked inside a PDF on the UCIs website so this blog post isnt a gripping read but just puts all the scales on one page for reference.The womens rankings system changes for 2026 and copies the same scales as the men but with fewer races on the calendar and stage races that often have shorter durations, there are less points on offer during the season.The table below is for World Tour races, if its a stage race then its for the final overall classification. Note the unusual numbers, 1,300 points for the Tour de France win for example rather than, say a round 1000 and then everything scaled proportionately to this.Next comes the points per stage in the World Tour stage races, as you can see a Tour de France stage is 210 points and points in the major tours go down to 15th each day and 10th for the other stage races.Next you can see points on offer for final place in the secondary competitions of a major tour, namely the mountains and points competitions. Even if one rider has run away with the competition others will find incentives to keep on scoring points.Next comes a daily award for leading a World Tour stage race.Next come all the races outside of the World Tour. Again note these are for the GC in stage races or a one-day race, so winning two one-day races is worth more than winning a two-day stage race in the same category.The next two tables below shows the points on offer for stages in non-World Tour races and the daily points for leading the race too. As with the mens tables we have similar clumsy formatting which suggests these tables probably arent meant to be for public consumption.Below are the national championships, split into A and B groups, where A is defined as a nation that started at least one rider in the previous Womens Elite world championship road race.Now comes the Continental Championships, think the European championships for the best example but it can be the Asian Games too.Now for the Worlds and Olympics, big events but the UCI is keen to big them up even more and they are the most lucrative one day races on the calendar in terms of points, 100 more than a Monument classic:For the last of the tables, heres the mixed relay time trial at the World Championships which the UCI is keen on promoting, its 300 points for the winning team but this is divided by the three women, so 100 points each (of course the men get 100 each too). Diving the points haul by three is why you might see some riders with a score featuring a decimal place at the end of the year.How To Lose PointsRiders can lose points too. The UCI rules include penalties for bad behaviour and some come with points deductions. They concern cheating like taking short-cuts, using sidewalks, ignoring level-crossing red lights, littering and other misdemeanours, right down to failing to sign on for the days racing or show up for the post-race press conference if invited. Any team manager sweating about winning points needs to also encourage riders not to lose them. UCI points are not docked automatically but it is within the scope of many sanctions, the example above comes from the 2025 Tour de France Femmes.Where to find themGo to uci.org > Regulations link at the top of the page > Scroll down to Part II Road Races > open the big Part II Road Races PDF > Scroll to Chapter X in the document.CommentThe scale is new for 2026 and aligns with the mens points, so the same number of points for the Tour de France whether men or women. So its equal in arithmetic but dont compare men and women for their points haul. Two examples: Tadej Pogaar and Jonas Vingegaard have enjoyed long spells in the race lead at the Giro, Tour and Vuelta, they can have 15 days of 20 or 25 points for being the overall leader each day; the likes of Demi Vollering or Pauline Ferrand-Prvot would be dominant if they led their races for five days. Above all the calendars are different, there are many more opportunities for mens teams to score throughout the year.The Mens UCI points tables are hereThe post UCI Womens Points And Rankings Tables first appeared on The Inner Ring.