Xero Racing have firmly established themselves in the Pro Tour after a decade in the sport, the team celebrating their 10th anniversary with a 10th place finish to back up the previous year’s 7th. Joseph Areruya has matched that with a 3rd and 4th finish in the Individual Rankings, taking a Monument victory in each season as well as a Grand Tour podium in the Vuelta a Espana last season. 30 years old, how the time flies. Now his peak is exactly halfway done - what do you do with the rest of it?
The story of last season was depth at last. So much depth that for (somehow) the first time in team history, Xero actually won a Teams Classification. Where, you may ask? Oh, the Tour de France. Nothing special. Daan Olivier won on Mont Ventoux and was 7th on GC, Fouche at Cauterets, while Blums (19th on GC), Martin, Martinez, Dzhus, Novardianto, and Lutsyshyn provided breakaways and support en route to one of the team’s most special races. Elsewhere, Paulus and Areruya ensured that for 8 successive Grand Tours (and 9 out of 10 total), the team brought a stage win home. In the standings, Blums, Fouche, Tesfaye Heyi and Paulus all brought in over 200 points behind the leading quartet, while new signings Lutsyshyn, Redy (stage winners at the Volta a Portugal), Frankovic, and Martinez joined returners Martin, van Niekerk, and team legend Hugo Houle (back for one last season) in triple digits also. You’d hardly remember how down badly the team was a few days into transfers, trading away Filippo Ganna in anticipation of a new leader that never came.
The other leaders did their part behind Areruya, using highlight rides to redeem underwhelming seasons. Olivier’s tough season was forgotten in the glory of his Tour de France - sitting a lowly 23rd after 12 days, his raid on Ventoux and a strong final week propelled him to a memorable 7th. Vermeersch found the learning curve steep in his first taste of northern classic leadership, but took a commanding first professional victory at the Tour of the Battenkill, counterattacking one Mads Pedersen and soloing to the win from distance. Pidcock didn’t quite match his breakout 2024, but 17th in the standings is still a success. Ganna’s replacement Rune Herregodts, on loan out at Evonik, finished with 400 points also and will make his Xero debut in 2025.
With the decline of many of those depth riders and the continued aging of Olivier, by now not a true stage race leader, means that Xero do have some work to do in transfers to repeat their scoring - but an overall good renewals has given them some amount of cap room to do so with. What do they want to do with it - and is everyone safe from the trade block. Who knows? But the future feels littered with options, and it certainly shouldn’t be the uphill battle to arrange the squad that the last four years have been, between large renewals fines in 2022 and 2023, the entry into PT in 2024, and the culling down to 11 riders in last year’s renewals.
What that future brings depends if you ask the media (title challengers when?) or the team management (a sustainable Top 5-10 team please!). A big hole sits in their salary cap - how do you add the finishing touches to a team in the lower top half with a squad with runway to go for a few years yet? A nice problem to have, perhaps, but still one you feel it's important to solve correctly. However, as they have made more than clear by now, Xero Racing’s beloved jersey isn’t made to blend into the peloton. Three monuments and stage wins at every Grand Tour, their top riders establishing rivalries at the top - the bucket list keeps getting shorter, but that is only adding more new goals to tick off.
About: The overnight success that is Xero is now an international company still based in little ol' NZ. They develop online accounting software for small businesses but are moving into larger clients as well. Sponsor Since: 2016 Contract Until: 2026 Focus Nations: New Zealand, Australia, Great Britain (minor), United States (minor)
Xero stepped in at the last minute in 2016, and since then have been a great asset to the team and are now nearly synonymous with us after seven years as title sponsor. They had publicly noted their disappointment in our lack of impact on the young blood of New Zealand cycling and with only two full-time New Zealand riders left in the team, there were always serious questions as to whether Xero would want to continue, with rumours their renewal for 2021 had more to do with PT exposure than local interest. However in the 2020s, corporate reshuffling and aggressive international expansion led higher ups to see the team in a new light, and after an initial two-year renewal for 2023/24, they are now in the final year of another extension, with no reason to believe change is coming.
About: Qhubeka is a non-for-profit, the South African programme of World Bicycle Relief, distributing bikes to help connect people to schools, clinics and jobs. Sponsor Since: 2018 Contract Until: 2026 Focus Nations: South Africa
A charity which helps use bicycles to support communities in poverty, as well as as a tool to help people of any age move forward in life. Not a sponsor by any means, quite the opposite. We ride for Qhubeka to increase awareness and taking part in fundraising, both of them increasing their funds and reach. We are delighted to continue a two-year renewal of our partnership with Qhubeka.
About: Visit Rwanda is a premier tourism company operating in, you guessed it, Rwanda. Sponsor Since: 2019 Contact Until: 2028 Focus Nation: Rwanda, The World (minor)
The Rwandan tourism company stepped up their involvement in the team after local hero Joseph Areruya established himself as a star in 2021 with his 27th-placed finish in the Pro Tour, including gaining huge exposure and popularity with an aggressive Giro d'Italia, where he won the white jersey. After two seasons of massive exposure in the PCT, in the last two years he has hit new heights as one of the very best riders in the world, finishing 3rd and 4th in the PT Individual Rankings and winning Africa's first monument at the Giro di Lombardia, following it up with its second at Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Safe to say he's been in a few advertising campaigns for them by this point.
The Secondary Sponsors
Spoiler
About: Octagon is the sports and entertainment marketing division of the Interpublic Group (IPG). The IPG is one of the "big four" advertising companies and so being sponsored by the South African arm of the sports arm of the IPG is a smaller deal but with big background. Sponsor Since: 2016 Contract Until: 2026 Focus Nations: South Africa, The World
Octagon help us get our name on the backs of buses, billboards, wherever, in our target countries. Good for publicity, finances and fans. They have stepped down from their title sponsor role (2016-18) but maintain a solid presence within the team as our marketers and talent representatives. We are very pleased with the work they do and proud to have them onboard through to what will be our eleventh season in 2026 - along with Xero they are our only remaining sponsors from our inaugural season.
About: Castle Lager is South Africa's favourite beer and is now available in over 40 countries worldwide. Sponsor Since: 2019 Contact Until: 2027 Focus Nations: South Africa, The World (minor)
Castle Lager continues their long association with South African sport as they extend for another two seasons with us.
About: Expedia is an American online travel shopping company - from flights to hotels and cars. Sponsor Since: 2022 Contract Until: 2027 Focus Nations: The World
Expedia joined us as a new sponsor in our second PCT stint, and we are very pleased with our work with them as a secondary sponsor and also our travel partner!
The Minor Sponsors and Partners
About: Cell C are a South African mobile operator and telecommunications company. Sponsor Since: 2022 Contract Until: 2026 Focus Nations: South Africa
Cell C, much like Castle Lager, have a long-time involvement with South African sport, and after MTN and Telkom used to sponsor Project: Africa, Cell C are the third such company to be involved with South African cycling teams.
About: Stoney Creek are New Zealand's most trusted brand in outdoor clothing. Sponsor Since: 2022 Contract Until: 2026 Focus Nations: New Zealand, Australia (minor), Great Britain (minor), United States (minor), Canada (minor)
Stoney Creek make amazing products which keep our team warm and protected off the bike, and the riders have been very happy with their first foray into cycling-specific gear and are very pleased they signed another two-year deal as clothing supplier, and also extending as a sponsor too.
About: Telkom Indonesia is a majority state owned telecommunications company, the largest in Indonesia. Sponsor Since: 2017 Contract Until: 2026 Focus Nations: Indonesia
Team legend Jamalidin Novardianto is an absolute fan favourite and nowhere is this more clear than in his home country of Indonesia. Not investing too much money, the state-owned telecommunications firm wanted in and are essentially sponsoring the team, just so they know we're tight and all, as long as he rides for us. So until he retires, then - a day which unfortunately may be getting closer. They are the third of our sponsors to have been on this journey since the CT days, having signed on in our second season!
Why change perfection? It's another year in our absolutely stunning kit, by prolific and super-talented designer the_hoyle! Special thanks to Ezeefreak for updating the logos to reflect sponsor changes in 2021.
Another positive renewals for the team, with cap space freed up, and this time without letting half the squad go! Seven departures still, but with three loanees returning the team do not need as much of a free agent frenzy as they did twelve months ago, with the squad numbering a healthy 16 riders after the renewals period.
At the top, Areruya and Pidcock took even further paycuts (last year they combined for 120k) as part of their commitment to the team's future - and perhaps recognition of their generous compensation in previous seasons. Among the other leaders, Vermeersch took a small raise while, in recognition of his work at training camp, Rune Herregodts is brought more in line with his value, basically making the leadership team worth as much as they were last season.
Daan Olivier stays with the team after accepting a huge cut, for which the team is grateful. In previous seasons the team have struggled to accept the unwieldy wages demanded by aging stars, but the ever-professional Olivier settled on a fair amount and so remains a high value-for-money rider despite his advancing years.
Further down the line, GT stars Blums and Fouche gain small rises, while new FA additions such as Martinez and Lutsyshyn take cuts to bring them more in line with their true value minus the signing bonuses afforded by an FA acquisition. Some risers and fallers below, while Ivan Romeo and Nate Pringle both took expected cuts after their neo-pro free agent signings last year.
As mentioned, seven riders departed the team. All leave us with nothing but nice words to say. Valgren, Dzhus, and Martin were tireless domestiques who scored well for themselves too. Daniel Paulus goes down as perhaps the greatest minimum wage signing in team history with 205 points last year and a memorable Giro d'Italia stage victory. Henok Tesfaye Heyi, a true Xero icon by now for his amazing scoring value, also began his decline and couldn't agree terms - the team are open to his return though he may choose to ride for another home team.
Stanislau Bazhkou and Hugo Houle, long since thought gone, both leave Xero for a second and final time, and will be paid a full and proper tribute at a later date. Both are part of the Xero family forever, with Houle in particular needing no introduction as one of the team's very best to ever do it. Their experience and talent will be sorely missed in the squad.
Old Wage
New Wage
Change?
Joseph
Areruya
€800,000
€740,000
-€60,000
Thomas
Pidcock
€500,000
€460,000
-€40,000
Florian
Vermeersch
€280,000
€290,000
€10,000
Rune
Herregodts
€160,000
€240,000
€80,000
Martins
Blums
€132,000
€135,000
€3,000
Daan
Olivier
€345,000
€184,000
-€161,000
James
Fouche
€125,000
€143,000
€18,000
Daniel Felipe
Martinez
€140,000
€90,000
-€50,000
Roman
Lutsyshyn
€110,000
€75,000
-€35,000
Morne
Van Niekerk
€75,000
€68,000
-€7,000
Dylan
Redy
€50,000
€60,000
€10,000
Jamalidin
Novardianto
€50,000
€50,000
-
Arvid
De Kleijn
€50,000
€50,000
-
Mateo
Frankovic
€60,000
€60,000
-
Ivan
Romeo
€250,000
€140,000
-€110,000
Nate
Pringle
€55,000
€50,000
-€5,000
Daniel
Paulus
€50,000
Released
-€50,000
Henok
Tesfaye Heyi
€60,000
Released
-€60,000
Guillaume
Martin
€50,000
Released
-€50,000
Volodymyr
Dzhus
€50,000
Released
-€50,000
Hugo
Houle
€88,000
Released
-€88,000
Stanislau
Bazhkou
€50,000
Released
-€50,000
Michael Valgren
Andersen
€50,000
Released
-€50,000
Total:
-€745,000
Though there's one or two negotiations the team may wish to take another swing at, overall it's positive if not groundbreaking signs at Xero HQ coming into transfers. The team's availability post is expected within the next 1-2 days as they look forward to the transfer period with great excitement and a little nerves about what is sure to be a hectic market. In the meantime, to all you other teams, get working on those availability posts and don't be shy with the dots!
@ember - Definitely a lot of options which is always exciting. After a couple of years of being six figures into the red after renewals, will never forget to value cap space again!
@Abhi - Yeah I think of Areruya's wage as a sculpture and my great life's work - just keep chiseling away and one day it will be perfect And same to you.
@bbl/Eden - Thanks for the kind words Took a few years but do feel like it's something I have improved a lot at and fairly comfortable with now - save some inevitable hairy moments but lucky they're on the lower scale (e.g. Fouche) nowadays
Coming out of the off-season, we'd like to present the updated Xero All-Time Leaderboards, a collection of various statistics of the team since our inception in 2016 as we mark 10 years in the peloton. First, though, an update on the history of our team awards:
Xero Team Awards
Rider
F. Rider
Y. Rider
Loan-out
Break.
Ride
'16
Diggle
Novardianto
Novardianto
-
Novardianto
Salinas
'17
Roux
Bennett
Kennett
Schleck
Novardianto
Roux
'18
Velits
Bennett
Areruya
-
Areruya
Gilanipoor
'19
Bennett
Bennett
Areruya
Novardianto
Higuita
Areruya
'20
Bennett
Bennett
Areruya
-
Nikiema
Meurisse
'21
Areruya
Areruya
Higuita
Pidcock
Higuita
Bennett
'22
Areruya
Bennett
Kipkemboi
-
Tesfaye
Bennett
'23
Areruya
Areruya
Pidcock
-
Tesfaye
Bennett
'24
Areruya
Pidcock
Vermeersch
-
Horvat
Pidcock
'25
Areruya
Areruya
-
Herregodts
Fouche
Areruya
Rider = Rider's Rider, F. Rider = Fan's Rider, Y. Rider = Young Rider.
And now onto the All-Time Leaderboards!
Loyalty
Years
Loan In
Loan Out
Stag.
Tenure
Jamalidin Novardianto
10
0
1
0
2016-
Joseph Areruya
8
0
0
0
2018-
Nils Schomber
8
0
1
1
2016-23
George Bennett
7
0
0
0
2017-23
Morne van Niekerk
7
0
1
0
2019-
James Fouche
7
0
1
0
2019-
Hugo Houle
6
0
0
0
2019-23, 25
Jordan Schleck
6
0
2
0
2016-21
Stanislau Bazhkou
5
0
0
0
2018-21, 25
Florian Vermeersch
5
0
0
0
2021-
Henok Tesfaye Heyi
5
0
0
0
2021-25
Hamish Schreurs
5
0
1
0
2017-20, 24
Thomas Pidcock
5
0
2
0
2021-
Yacine Hamza
5
0
1
1
2020-24
Spoiler
Tom Davison
4
0
0
0
2016-19
Luke Rowe
4
0
0
0
2018-21
Salim Kipkemboi
4
0
0
0
2020-23
Johann van Zyl
4
0
0
0
2021-24
Daniel Habtemichael
4
0
1
0
2019-22
Marvain Tognama Kossohorou
3
0
0
0
2016-18
Carl Ngamoki-Cameron
3
0
0
0
2017-19
Dylan Kennett
3
0
0
0
2017-19
Mekseb Debesay
3
0
0
0
2018-20
Shaun Nick Bester
3
0
0
0
2019-20, 2024
Bachirou Nikiema
3
0
0
0
2020-22
Robert Stannard
3
0
0
0
2020-22
Corbin Strong
3
0
0
0
2022-24
Geremie Nzeke
3
0
1
0
2016-18
Sergio Higuita
3
0
1
0
2019-21
Jonathan Salinas
2
0
0
0
2016-17
Simon Clarke
2
0
0
0
2016-17
Tom Diggle
2
0
0
0
2016-17
Matthew Lloyd
2
0
0
0
2016-17
Anthony Roux
2
0
0
0
2017-18
Jaco Venter
2
0
0
0
2018-19
Arvid de Kleijn
2
0
0
0
2019, 2025-
Xandro Meurisse
2
0
0
0
2020-21
Ilan Van Wilder
2
0
0
0
2022-23
Guillaume Martin
2
0
0
0
2024-
Daniel Afoa
2
0
1
1
2017-18
Tom Scully
1
0
0
0
2016
Ole Hirschlein
1
0
0
0
2016
Aleksandr Efimkin
1
0
0
0
2016
Timothy Gudsell
1
0
0
0
2016
Igor Antón
1
0
0
0
2017
Stijn Vandenbergh
1
0
0
0
2017
Egidijus Juodvalkis
1
0
0
0
2017
Peter Velits
1
0
0
0
2018
Tosh van der Sande
1
0
0
0
2018
Abolfazl Gilanipoor
1
0
0
0
2018
Kristian Dyrnes
1
0
0
0
2019
Tsgabu Grmay
1
0
0
0
2019
Mikiel Habtom
1
0
0
0
2019
Darren Young
1
0
0
0
2022
Sergei Pomoshnikov
1
0
0
0
2024
Farzad Khodayari
1
0
0
0
2024
Filippo Ganna
1
0
0
0
2024
Matti Manninen
1
0
0
0
2024
Daniel Paulus
1
0
0
0
2025
Volodymyr Dzhus
1
0
0
0
2025
Michael Valgren Andersen
1
0
0
0
2025
Daan Olivier
1
0
0
0
2025-
Martins Blums
1
0
0
0
2025-
Daniel Felipe Martinez
1
0
0
0
2025-
Roman Lutsyshyn
1
0
0
0
2025-
Dylan Redy
1
0
0
0
2025-
Mateo Frankovic
1
0
0
0
2025-
Jean Helwani
1
1
0
0
2016
Rei Onodera
1
1
0
0
2017
Gregory Daniel
1
1
0
0
2018
Callum Scotson
1
1
0
0
2018
Syver Waersted
1
1
0
0
2020
Luke Mudgway
1
1
0
0
2021
Regan Gough
1
1
0
0
2022
Alan Boileau
1
1
0
0
2023
Kees Duyvesteyn
1
1
0
0
2023
Oier Lazkano
1
1
0
0
2023
Jhon Stiven Ramirez
1
1
0
0
2023
Mohammad Ganjkhanlou
1
1
0
0
2024
Joren Bloem
1
1
0
0
2024
Jensen Plowright
1
1
0
0
2024
Ziga Horvat
1
1
0
0
2024
Rune Herregodts
1
0
1
0
2025-
Ivan Romeo
1
0
1
0
2025-
Nate Pringle
1
0
1
0
2025-
Kim Ok Cheol
1
0
0
1
2016
Scott Ambrose
1
0
0
1
2017
Joseph Kimathi
1
0
0
1
2018
Hernan Ricardo Aguirre
1
0
0
1
2018
Mingrun Chen
1
0
0
1
2019
Akramjon Sunnatov
1
0
0
1
2019
Than Tung Huynh
1
0
0
1
2019
Miguel Florez
1
0
0
1
2019
Jason Tesson
1
0
0
1
2020
Henri Vandenabeele
1
0
0
1
2022
Vito Braet
1
0
0
1
2022
Felix Engelhardt
1
0
0
1
2023
Edgar Andres Pinzon
1
0
0
1
2023
Joseph Areruya is now our second-longest-tenured rider, two years behind team mainstay Jamalidin Novardianto. Signings from our original PT season in Pidcock, Vermeersch and Tesfaye Heyi join the list of riders to bring up a half-decade with the team, as does Bazhkou with his return year. Morne van Niekerk and James Fouche tie up George Bennett for seven seasons and surely have their eyes on the podium long-term.
Breadwinners
Points
Biggest Year
Joseph Areruya
7736
1894
George Bennett
3407
716
Thomas Pidcock
3287
1526
Hugo Houle
2549
653
Luke Rowe
1943
529
Mekseb Debesay
1214
482
Anthony Roux
841
631
Florian Vermeersch
800
513
Filippo Ganna
720
720
Henok Tesfaye Heyi
709
243
Spoiler
Matti Manninen
687
687
Xandro Meurisse
658
382
Stanislau Bazhkou
648
278
Jamalidin Novardianto
606
138
James Fouche
604
269
Daan Olivier
576
576
Peter Velits
572
572
Johann van Zyl
403
178
Sergio Higuita
396
379
Nils Schomber
382
191
Jonathan Salinas
370
263
Morne van Niekerk
363
134
Daniel Habtemichael
360
244
Tom Diggle
276
218
Martins Blums
269
269
Simon Clarke
244
134
Shaun Nick Bester
219
85
Robert Stannard
210
112
Guillaume Martin
207
110
Daniel Paulus
205
205
Hamish Schreurs
202
133
Roman Lutsyshyn
177
177
Tsgabu Grmay
165
165
Salim Kipkemboi
162
93
Yacine Hamza
150
145
Bachirou Nikiema
139
109
Kristian Dyrnes
138
138
Dylan Redy
135
135
Mateo Frankovic
133
133
Tom Davison
130
57
Jordan Schleck
129
86
Tosh van der Sande
128
128
Ziga Horvat
125
125
Abolfazl Gilanipoor
106
106
Daniel Felipe Martinez
103
103
Sergei Pomoshnikov
96
96
Farzad Khodayari
92
92
Geremie Nzeke
90
63
Volodymyr Dzhus
82
82
Arvid de Kleijn
78
76
Luke Mudgway
76
76
Michael Valgren Andersen
71
71
Corbin Strong
67
54
Igor Antón
66
66
Ole Hirschlein
66
66
Jensen Plowright
63
63
Jaco Venter
63
40
Mohammad Ganjkhanlou
60
60
Joren Bloem
58
58
Tom Scully
52
52
Stijn Vandenbergh
50
50
Matthew Lloyd
37
36
Marvain Tognama Kossohorou
28
13
Timothy Gudsell
21
21
Dylan Kennett
18
9
Ilan Van Wilder
14
12
Darren Young
13
13
Carl Ngamoki-Cameron
10
9
Alan Boileau
8
8
Rei Onodera
4
4
Kees Duyvesteyn
4
4
Aleksandr Efimkin
4
4
Oier Lazkano
3
3
Egidijus Juodvalkis
2
2
Syver Waersted
2
2
Henri Vandenabeele
1
1
Hernan Ricardo Aguirre
1
1
Jean Helwani
1
1
Daniel Afoa
1
1
Callum Scotson
0
0
Rune Herregodts
0
0
Vito Braet
0
0
Mingrun Chen
0
0
Edgar Andres Pinzon
0
0
Jhon Stiven Ramirez
0
0
Miguel Florez
0
0
Felix Engelhardt
0
0
Mikiel Habtom
0
0
Ivan Romeo
0
0
Jason Tesson
0
0
Joseph Kimathi
0
0
Kim Ok Cheol
0
0
Nate Pringle
0
0
Regan Gough
0
0
Scott Ambrose
0
0
Gregory Daniel
0
0
Akramjon Sunnatov
0
0
Than Tung Huynh
0
0
Joseph Areruya couldn't break his own record for highest-scoring season, but still gets more than enough to now have more than double the amount of points as second place for the team. That second place still belongs to Mr Xero himself, who holds off Thomas Pidcock who would have passed him already after three seasons riding for the team if he scored as well as 2024. Lower down the list, Vermeersch and Tesfaye Heyi break into the Top 10, the latter as the only non-leader to do so, a fine achievement and a sign of how good his scoring has been for the team.
Another way to look at the points - the year-by year scoring and progression of each rider. Always notable is having five of the top six riders together in the 2020 promotion squad along with 12th through 15th - what a special team that was. This may be the final year before we have to figure out new formatting here, but a cool way to visualise 10 seasons of Xero Racing.
Chicken Dinners
Classics
GCs
Stage Wins
Total
Joseph Areruya
5
4
21
30
George Bennett
2
3
12
17
Thomas Pidcock
1
1
6
8
Anthony Roux
1
1
6
8
Hugo Houle
0
1
5
6
Nils Schomber
0
0
4
4
Luke Rowe
2
0
1
3
Tosh van der Sande
0
0
3
3
Mekseb Debesay
0
0
3
3
Matti Manninen
1
0
1
2
Filippo Ganna
0
0
2
2
James Fouche
0
0
2
2
Peter Velits
0
0
2
2
Florian Vermeersch
1
0
0
1
Xandro Meurisse
1
0
0
1
Daniel Paulus
0
0
1
1
Igor Antón
0
0
1
1
Sergio Higuita
0
0
1
1
Yacine Hamza
0
0
1
1
Abolfazl Gilanipoor
0
0
1
1
Dylan Redy
0
0
1
1
Daan Olivier
0
0
1
1
Roman Lutsyshyn
0
0
1
1
Jonathan Salinas
0
0
1
1
Areruya hasn't quite doubled Bennett's win total yet, with his crazy 2023 now providing the entire gap. Areruya the stage winner would still be first on this list, while Areruya the outright race winner would be second. Thomas Pidcock continues to climb, now tying Anthony Roux for the final step on the podium. Five new names on the leaderboard in 2025 - Vermeersch, Olivier, Redy, Lutsyshyn, and Paulus.
Certainly Bazhkou and van Niekerk's favourite list! Areruya moves ahead of Bennett in terms of National Championships won (needless to say they're both all in the road race...) and further extends his lead compared to the in-season list with an Avenir stage win and the 2024 B World Championships Road Race.
Two pieces of trivia we probably mention every year:
1) While the Tokyo Olympics were cancelled, the streets will never forget the Areruya-Bennett 1-2 over Herklotz in the semi-finals, even if the MGUCI won't let us add it to this list.
2) Morne van Niekerk is the only rider on this list who has a win that came from when he wasn't a contracted Xero rider, having joined us in the 2018 Tour de l'Avenir before signing with us in 2019.
Jerseys
Points
KOM
U25
Total
Joseph Areruya
9
0
4
13
Thomas Pidcock
2
0
4
6
George Bennett
3
2
0
5
Hugo Houle
3
0
0
3
Luke Rowe
2
0
0
2
Daniel Habtemichael
0
0
2
2
Anthony Roux
1
0
0
1
Mekseb Debesay
1
0
0
1
Peter Velits
0
1
0
1
Tom Davison
0
1
0
1
Timothy Gudsell
0
1
0
1
Sergio Higuita
0
1
0
1
Mateo Frankovic
0
1
0
1
Jamalidin Novardianto
0
0
1
1
Robert Stannard
0
0
1
1
James Fouche
0
0
1
1
Florian Vermeersch
0
0
1
1
The race for Areruya on these charts has clearly long moved from claiming first place to lapping the field, but he did so here last year - interestingly over Pidcock rather than Bennett. He extends by one this year. Shoutout to our first KoM jersey since 2021 thanks to Mateo Frankovic - interestingly then it was Tirreno - Adriatico, and this time it was Paris - Nice. Both while we had a rider competing for the podium, which begs the question why we've only found success there rather than when we don't have a leader!
Greedy Bastards
Total Wage
Highest Year
Joseph Areruya
€4,110,000
€880,000
Thomas Pidcock
€2,040,000
€600,000
George Bennett
€1,770,000
€420,000
Hugo Houle
€1,479,000
€409,000
Luke Rowe
€1,165,000
€370,000
Florian Vermeersch
€970,000
€280,000
Mekseb Debesay
€835,000
€365,000
Robert Stannard
€710,000
€340,000
James Fouche
€582,000
€140,000
Xandro Meurisse
€540,000
€300,000
Spoiler
Jamalidin Novardianto
€510,500
€65,000
Filippo Ganna
€450,000
€450,000
Matti Manninen
€410,000
€410,000
Morne van Niekerk
€387,000
€75,000
Sergio Higuita
€350,000
€250,000
Peter Velits
€350,000
€350,000
Stanislau Bazhkou
€335,000
€75,000
Daan Olivier
€330,000
€330,000
Hamish Schreurs
€330,000
€120,000
Nils Schomber
€325,000
€65,000
Henok Tesfaye Heyi
€295,000
€75,000
Tosh van der Sande
€275,000
€275,000
Salim Kipkemboi
€270,000
€105,000
Jordan Schleck
€260,000
€70,000
Daniel Habtemichael
€252,500
€12,000
Ivan Romeo
€250,000
€250,000
Tom Diggle
€230,000
€130,000
Tom Davison
€225,000
€75,000
Anthony Roux
€220,000
€130,000
Johann van Zyl
€218,000
€55,000
Tom Scully
€210,000
€210,000
Ilan Van Wilder
€205,000
€130,000
Yacine Hamza
€185,000
€75,000
Kristian Dyrnes
€180,000
€180,000
Bachirou Nikiema
€160,000
€60,000
Jonathan Salinas
€155,000
€80,000
Marvain Tognama Kossohorou
€150,000
€50,000
Tsgabu Grmay
€150,000
€150,000
Carl Ngamoki-Cameron
€150,000
€50,000
Corbin Strong
€150,000
€50,000
Dylan Kennett
€150,000
€50,000
Daniel Felipe Martinez
€140,000
€140,000
Ole Hirschlein
€140,000
€140,000
Jaco Venter
€135,000
€70,000
Martins Blums
€132,000
€132,000
Shaun Nick Bester
€131,000
€81,000
Geremie Nzeke
€120,000
€105,000
Roman Lutsyshyn
€110,000
€110,000
Matthew Lloyd
€105,000
€55,000
Simon Clarke
€105,000
€55,000
Igor Antón
€100,000
€100,000
Guillaume Martin
€100,000
€50,000
Arvid de Kleijn
€100,000
€50,000
Abolfazl Gilanipoor
€81,500
€81,500
Mikiel Habtom
€70,000
€70,000
Mateo Frankovic
€60,000
€60,000
Sergei Pomoshnikov
€60,000
€60,000
Rune Herregodts
€58,000
€138,000
Stijn Vandenbergh
€55,000
€55,000
Nate Pringle
€55,000
€55,000
Daniel Paulus
€50,000
€50,000
Jensen Plowright
€50,000
€50,000
Michael Valgren Andersen
€50,000
€50,000
Farzad Khodayari
€50,000
€50,000
Mohammad Ganjkhanlou
€50,000
€50,000
Rei Onodera
€50,000
€50,000
Egidijus Juodvalkis
€50,000
€50,000
Dylan Redy
€50,000
€50,000
Timothy Gudsell
€50,000
€50,000
Aleksandr Efimkin
€50,000
€50,000
Ziga Horvat
€50,000
€50,000
Volodymyr Dzhus
€50,000
€50,000
Darren Young
€50,000
€50,000
Gregory Daniel
€37,500
€37,500
Joren Bloem
€30,000
€30,000
Joseph Kimathi
€15,000
€15,000
Henri Vandenabeele
€10,000
€10,000
Vito Braet
€10,000
€10,000
Mingrun Chen
€10,000
€10,000
Edgar Andres Pinzon
€10,000
€10,000
Hernan Ricardo Aguirre
€10,000
€10,000
Miguel Florez
€10,000
€10,000
Felix Engelhardt
€10,000
€10,000
Jason Tesson
€10,000
€10,000
Kim Ok Cheol
€10,000
€10,000
Regan Gough
€10,000
€10,000
Scott Ambrose
€10,000
€10,000
Akramjon Sunnatov
€10,000
€10,000
Than Tung Huynh
€10,000
€10,000
Daniel Afoa
€10,000
€10,000
Callum Scotson
€0
€0
Oier Lazkano
€0
€0
Jhon Stiven Ramirez
€0
€0
Alan Boileau
€0
€0
Jean Helwani
€0
€0
Syver Waersted
€0
€0
Kees Duyvesteyn
€0
€0
Luke Mudgway
€0
€0
Another category, another Areruya lapping, getting both Pidcock and Bennett here. Fouche jumps into the Top 10 by leapfrogging Novardianto, who seems destined to always be 11th on this list. Hugo Houle grabs another €88,000 before retiring!
Single Season Record: €880,000 (Joseph Areruya, 2024)
Value for Money
€/point
Daniel Paulus
€244
Anthony Roux
€262
Dylan Redy
€370
Ziga Horvat
€400
Henok Tesfaye Heyi
€416
Jonathan Salinas
€419
Simon Clarke
€430
Mateo Frankovic
€451
Guillaume Martin
€483
Martins Blums
€491
Spoiler
Stanislau Bazhkou
€517
Joren Bloem
€517
George Bennett
€520
Joseph Areruya
€531
Johann van Zyl
€541
Farzad Khodayari
€543
Daan Olivier
€573
Hugo Houle
€580
Matti Manninen
€597
Shaun Nick Bester
€598
Luke Rowe
€600
Volodymyr Dzhus
€610
Peter Velits
€612
Thomas Pidcock
€621
Roman Lutsyshyn
€621
Filippo Ganna
€625
Sergei Pomoshnikov
€625
Mekseb Debesay
€688
Daniel Habtemichael
€701
Michael Valgren Andersen
€704
Abolfazl Gilanipoor
€769
Jensen Plowright
€794
Xandro Meurisse
€821
Tom Diggle
€833
Mohammad Ganjkhanlou
€833
Jamalidin Novardianto
€842
Nils Schomber
€851
Sergio Higuita
€884
Tsgabu Grmay
€909
James Fouche
€964
Morne van Niekerk
€1,066
Stijn Vandenbergh
€1,100
Bachirou Nikiema
€1,151
Florian Vermeersch
€1,213
Yacine Hamza
€1,233
Arvid de Kleijn
€1,282
Kristian Dyrnes
€1,304
Geremie Nzeke
€1,333
Daniel Felipe Martinez
€1,359
Igor Antón
€1,515
Hamish Schreurs
€1,634
Salim Kipkemboi
€1,667
Tom Davison
€1,731
Jordan Schleck
€2,016
Ole Hirschlein
€2,121
Jaco Venter
€2,143
Tosh van der Sande
€2,148
Corbin Strong
€2,239
Timothy Gudsell
€2,381
Matthew Lloyd
€2,838
Robert Stannard
€3,381
Darren Young
€3,846
Tom Scully
€4,038
Marvain Tognama Kossohorou
€5,357
Dylan Kennett
€8,333
Henri Vandenabeele
€10,000
Hernan Ricardo Aguirre
€10,000
Daniel Afoa
€10,000
Rei Onodera
€12,500
Aleksandr Efimkin
€12,500
Ilan Van Wilder
€14,643
Carl Ngamoki-Cameron
€15,000
Egidijus Juodvalkis
€25,000
Jean Helwani
Infinite
Syver Waersted
Infinite
Oier Lazkano
Infinite
Kees Duyvesteyn
Infinite but More
Alan Boileau
Infinite but More
Luke Mudgway
Infinite but Most
Callum Scotson
N/A
Rune Herregodts
N/A
Vito Braet
N/A
Mingrun Chen
N/A
Edgar Andres Pinzon
N/A
Jhon Stiven Ramirez
N/A
Miguel Florez
N/A
Felix Engelhardt
N/A
Mikiel Habtom
N/A
Ivan Romeo
N/A
Jason Tesson
N/A
Joseph Kimathi
N/A
Kim Ok Cheol
N/A
Nate Pringle
N/A
Regan Gough
N/A
Scott Ambrose
N/A
Gregory Daniel
N/A
Akramjon Sunnatov
N/A
Than Tung Huynh
N/A
Truly the most shocking aspect of the lists this year - Anthony Roux has found himself dethroned at long last, a record we all thought quite unbreakable until we hit sort in the spreadsheet! Daniel Paulus was a fantastic minimum-wage signing for the team in 2025 and earns top spot here. Three other acquisitions from last transfers spring into the Top 10, with Dylan Redy (3rd) and Mateo Frankovic (8th) also proving to be potent free agent pick-ups while Martins Blums (10th) extends value for money to mid-level wages. Martin in 9th was also a signing last year. Great scoring depth recruitment - Xero are back at long last! In terms of (non-CT) leaders, Bennett still leads Areruya, sitting 13th and 14th on the leaderboard. The Rwandan moved from €555 to €531, showing he still has potential to reach the Top 10 before his career is out.
Single Season Record: €135/point (Anthony Roux, 2017)
Men of Steel
RDs
Jamalidin Novardianto
662
Nils Schomber
505
Morne van Niekerk
430
James Fouche
406
Joseph Areruya
393
Stanislau Bazhkou
340
Hugo Houle
327
George Bennett
326
Johann van Zyl
322
Florian Vermeersch
320
Spoiler
Henok Tesfaye Heyi
300
Salim Kipkemboi
291
Tom Davison
285
Hamish Schreurs
254
Bachirou Nikiema
240
Corbin Strong
238
Dylan Kennett
229
Shaun Nick Bester
226
Jordan Schleck
225
Daniel Habtemichael
212
Yacine Hamza
205
Marvain Tognama Kossohorou
201
Luke Rowe
191
Robert Stannard
179
Ilan Van Wilder
178
Carl Ngamoki-Cameron
174
Sergio Higuita
166
Arvid de Kleijn
164
Guillaume Martin
161
Jaco Venter
131
Thomas Pidcock
124
Xandro Meurisse
111
Mekseb Debesay
110
Geremie Nzeke
107
Anthony Roux
107
Tom Diggle
106
Simon Clarke
103
Matthew Lloyd
98
Jonathan Salinas
97
Oier Lazkano
85
Luke Mudgway
83
Kees Duyvesteyn
83
Volodymyr Dzhus
83
Jensen Plowright
81
Ziga Horvat
81
Mateo Frankovic
81
Alan Boileau
78
Dylan Redy
77
Rei Onodera
76
Farzad Khodayari
76
Sergei Pomoshnikov
75
Mohammad Ganjkhanlou
75
Roman Lutsyshyn
73
Callum Scotson
72
Joren Bloem
72
Daniel Paulus
72
Gregory Daniel
71
Daniel Felipe Martinez
71
Jhon Stiven Ramirez
69
Michael Valgren Andersen
66
Mikiel Habtom
65
Syver Waersted
64
Timothy Gudsell
63
Tsgabu Grmay
63
Abolfazl Gilanipoor
62
Darren Young
62
Martins Blums
62
Egidijus Juodvalkis
60
Aleksandr Efimkin
60
Jean Helwani
57
Ole Hirschlein
53
Regan Gough
53
Daan Olivier
53
Tosh van der Sande
51
Kristian Dyrnes
50
Matti Manninen
50
Igor Antón
48
Tom Scully
47
Peter Velits
46
Stijn Vandenbergh
45
Filippo Ganna
45
Hernan Ricardo Aguirre
15
Joseph Kimathi
15
Daniel Afoa
15
Mingrun Chen
15
Than Tung Huynh
15
Miguel Florez
15
Jason Tesson
15
Felix Engelhardt
15
Scott Ambrose
14
Akramjon Sunnatov
14
Henri Vandenabeele
14
Vito Braet
14
Edgar Andres Pinzon
14
Kim Ok Cheol
10
Rune Herregodts
0
Ivan Romeo
0
Nate Pringle
0
We're sure Hugo Houle will give Bennett some ribbing as he passes his old teammate thanks to his curtain call season by a single race day. Fouche passes Areruya for 4th place, while Morne van Niekerk is bearing down on 2nd place but will need two years to do it still. Novardianto is looking to set a lengthy record - though given the team now resides in PT, it's certainly feasible it could one day be broken if that stay can be a long one.
Single Season Record: 100 (Nils Schomber, 2019) CT: 76 (Jamalidin Novardianto, 2016; Rei Onodera and Dylan Kennett, 2017)
As always finally it's our HQ Rider of the Month awards, which has five new entrants thanks to Paulus, Lutsyshyn, Vermeersch, Olivier, and Valgren Andersen. Areruya and Pidcock grab two each - this is a stat where Areruya doesn't hold the strongest of leads while Pidcock has averaged more than three per season since joining, and perhaps can aim to be the winner here when his career is through!
Single-Season Record: 4 (Anthony Roux, 2017; Thomas Pidcock, 2023; Joseph Areruya, 2024)
Funny how Jams and Areruya are great value for whatever money you spent but are neither are anywhere close to the top of that ranking They're leading everything else between themselves!
As always love catching up on the all-time stats updated
Xero Racing 2026 
Australia, 
Great Britain (minor), 
United States (minor)
Rwanda, 
The World (minor)
Thomas Pidcock
Daniel Paulus
Henok Tesfaye Heyi
Guillaume Martin
Hugo Houle
Stanislau Bazhkou
Michael V. Andersen
Filippo Ganna
Matti Manninen
Yacine Hamza
Sergei Pomoshnikov
Farzad Khodayari
Ziga Horvat [Loaned In]
Salim Kipkemboi
Nils Schomber
Oier Lazkano [Loaned In]
Daniel Habtemichael
Bachirou Nikiema
Darren Young
Jordan Schleck
Luke Rowe
Syver Waersted [Loaned In]
Carl Ngamoki-Cameron
Mingrun Chen [Stagiaire]
Than Tung Huynh [Stagiaire]
Akramjon Sunnatov [Stagiaire]
Marvain Tognama Kossouhorou
Peter Velits
Geremie Nzeke
Rei Onodera [Loaned In]
Egidijus Juodvalkis
Jonathan Salinas
Ok Cheol Kim [Stagiaire]
Tour of Qatar
Classique du Grand-Duché
Franceville Classique
Tour de Romandie
GP Liechtenstein
Volta a Catalunya
Praha - Karlovy Vary - Praha
And same to you.
