Andrew Talansky leads the Garmin-Sharp team.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Friday August 1 marks the start of the official transfer window in professional cycling, with riders allowed sign news contracts with new teams for the 2015 season.
As usual, Cyclingnews will have complete coverage of the changes and transfers that will shape the 2015 peloton.
A number of high profile riders are expected to change team for 2015, with announcements likely in the weeks ahead. It’s only a matter of time before Peter Sagan is unveiled as Tinkoff-Saxo’s marquee signing and Cyclingnews understands that the Slovak’s brother Juraj, Maciej Bodnar and one other Cannondale rider will also join Oleg Tinkov’s squad for 2015.
Tinkoff-Saxo is apparently undergoing several changes to fulfill Oleg Tinkov's ambition of creating the best team in the sport.
Two sources have also confirmed that Team Sky are leading the chase for Nicolas Roche with the Irish rider set to leave Tinkoff-Saxo after two seasons with the squad. Team Sky is in pole position to sign Roche, with IAM Cycling and Trek Factory Racing also negotiating with the rider.
Cyclingnews contacted Roche’s agent Andrew McQuaid, who would only provide a no comment to the speculation.
Boasson Hagen in talks with MTN-Qhubeka
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One rider who looks to possibly be leaving Team Sky is Edvald Boasson Hagen, with MTN-Qhubeka confirming to Cyclingnews that they have talked to the Norwegian’s agent.
The South African team is one of the busiest players in the rider market at the moment with at least three or four major signings expected as it looks to develop and grow under the guidance of Cervelo bike brand co-founder Gerard Vroomen. The team has announced it will use Cervelo bikes in 2015 instead of Trek, with former NetApp-Endura manager Brian Smith charged with building the team's roster for 2015.
The team told Cyclingnews that they are looking to bolster their Classics contingent for next year but that they do not have current plans to join the WorldTour in 2015. Several riders out of contract for 2015 have already approached the team.
As reported on Wednesday, Bauke Mollema is also out of contract and regardless of Belkin’s future he looks set to move on. A number of WorldTour teams have expressed interest in his signature but Cyclingnews understands that a deal has been signed with a rival team and that an announcement will be made in the next week or two. During the Tour de France it was reported that the consistent stage race rider had agreed terms with Trek Factory Racing.
As already reported last week, Garmin-Sharp is set to announce their new sponsorship deal for next season soon, with Cannondale set to come on board, with a number of riders moving over from the lime green team.
Cyclingnews has heard conflicting reports on the number of riders moving with the figure between four and eight. One source told Cyclingnews that talented young riders Matej Mohoric is set to be one of the riders certain to make the transfer but Moreno Moser isn’t certain given his large contract. Garmin-Sharp has still to reveal which riders will stay from the 2014 roster. However Andrew Talansky and Dan Martin both have long-term contracts with the team.
Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
