They are the one team that looks like they want to push for the title. They did not do a ton to upgrade their already fantastic base into a title winning squad but the moves they did, make a lot of sense: The TTT team got further upgraded with the trades for Krul and Hayter into one that could fill the void of EA as a top TTT team in the division. And McNulty got training where a GT podium looks more likely than in the past. With good leaders on all terrains they already should have secured their PT podium and they have a ton of paths to the title - whether its a McNulty hitting the weakest GT startlist, Gidich delivering the strong season that Bikex is waiting to see from him for a while or simply none of the other podium contenders overperforming enough to stop them. I expect every preview to have them as a strong favourite. [Edit: This was written before i saw some of the other previews]
The Contenders
2. Rabobank
Rabobank is looking to repeat last years PT podium. They lost Formolo and Gerts declined a second time but they replace that scoring deficit by a newly maxed Kooij and Zijlaard. That new emphasis on sprints with all of Kooij, Aniolkowski and Zijlaard as three strong PT sprint leaders (although Zijlaard probably might have to lead out a fair bit?) creates some risks as a few sprint underperformances or a general lack of cohesion in the leadout could hurt a ton. But they have mutant Evenepoel and Champoussin to add great scoring elsewhere. A PT podium is far from guaranteed with the over reliance on sprints but i see them as King Powers top challenger if everything clicks.
3. Evonik
One of the most changed teams compared to last year. Four of the top six scorers from last year are riding elsewhere with Lecuisinier and Foss being traded away and Herregodts and Ovsyannikov ending their loan. Vermeersch could be the second big scorer of the team as a big upgrade over Ovsyannikov on the cobbles who despite heavy training elsewhere should make the jump to one of the better PT cobbles leaders. Kemboi adds a new quality as a proper sprint leader. But both Vermeersch and Kemboi have lacking support as the team did not add a good enough leadout specialist and sold a proven cobbled lieutenant in Neilands without proper replacement. The lack of a proper lieutenant is also visible on hills where former #3 puncheur Calmejane is the new #2 despite declining.
You rather find the depth in the stage races where Lecuisinier, Foss and also departed Arndt are replaced by Hart and maxed Krasts and Gomez as well as free agency signing Choi. This deep climbing core should be good for GT breakaways and team classification scoring throughout the season. Overall, this seems like a team that won't drop out of the top 5 due to strong leaders and consistent scoring everywhere but lacks the ideal roster construction to properly mount a title defense.
4. Assa Abloy
If there is a rider in the DB that instantly makes any team a top 5 contender, it is Herklotz. Getting him from FA on a wage only slightly above renewals wages is a steal for me. Dainese with training is a second big time leader and Gesbert outscored Dainese last year in PCT and will surely be at least a good PT leader as well.
Behind that scoring options are a bit thin with Abdul Halil, Blume Levy and AH Johannessen as the only guys that look like somewhat reliable depth scorers. And while im not loving the support they have on most terrains, it isnt terrible either and the leader quality is good enough that they should at least be fighting for a top 5.
5. MOL
Everybody knew they had a great base for a promotion last year already but MOL went out of their way to complete change their team. Kudus, Stannard, Halvorsen and Carthy is one of the best leadership quartetts around and there is good climbing depth behind. Other than that, i dont see much scoring depth in the squad. Zariff could surprise in the sprints. Lack of cobbles, only Rekita as a time trial guy that i dont rate. This feels like a leaders group that looks ready to fight for a title, a depth that wants to relegate and both of that should average out to a team thats ready to fight for a top 5.
Edited by knockout on 09-09-2026 20:18
Last year fifth, this year close to that as well? The team upgraded from Per to Pedersen who had a monster season last year. The rest of the team feels mostly unchanged with Kragh Andersen replacing the scoring of Kragh Andersen whose corpse is still in the team as well. A few of the leaders have question marks whether they can repeat their strong seasons from last year (Aranburu, Skjelmose despite training) but they have some solid nice riders across most terrains (SKA, Gregaard, Rodenberg,...) to keep the points keep coming. Their potential to attack the podium spots seems to be a bit capped but they should at least finish top ten.
7. Cedevita
Pogacar, Siric and Philipsen is an awesome leader trio - probably the best young trio in the game and a great base for a potential title attempt at any point. That point isnt now though as the only real move to improve the squad was the addition of a trained Primozic which turns him into a real nice secondary leader in the mountains.
Behind that you have many interesting riders like Fedorov or Williams but its not a squad that looks ready to fight for a podium yet.
8. ELCO
The team is the star. The team has 20 riders within the top 200 PT riders (by OVR) which is far more than any other team. The only leader fighting for overall race wins is Farantakis who had an incredible season last year that will be hard to repeat despite a good leadout train with e.g. Boutopoulos and Gibbons. Two interesting GC options in trained Giannoutsos and U25 eligible Karatsivis, De Plus who was rather decentish for Lierse last year, Altur who could still be okay on the cobbles and a strong TTT lineup make for a team that is solid almost everywhere but rarely really good. Still that sort of depth is usually rewarded in PT and i dont see them finishing much lower than last season.
9. Tinkoff
They added Mohoric from Free Agency to replace Skujins. Other than that, i could copy paste a preview from last year as nothing much has changed. Maxed out stamina stats and a good TTT make for a team that surely overperforms my prediction once again (like every year) but at the least should be good for a top 10.
10. Polar
Its time for the true monster to emerge with Bernal with Bagioli also getting significant training. The third star of their trident is Würtz who got signed from FA but asks the big question: How can your TTT rival some of the worst ever Evonik TTT lineups when you have two podium finishers from last years Herbiers?
The rest of the squad was weakened to finance the training with significant sales for riders like Hart or Mullen. Some intriguing depth scorers remain - most notably hybrid clibers Mas and Zambanini but overall the squad seems to be weaker than they were in the past.
Dunbar is without a doubt the big star of the squad. He has a second in command with Mullen and a strong TTT to maximize his value to the team. The team also has a strong climbing setup with Morton and a massively improved Firdaus to carry them despite a lot of sales. The team has a couple of riders who have the upside to make valuable contributions with Sandy Nur Hasan or Arenberg contender Brent Van Moer as improvements compared to last season.
The squad is definitely weaker compared to last season but i think the individual pieces that are still there fit well together and should keep them safe for the time being.
12. Specialized
One of the most improved squads of the transfer window: Wirtgen is a great signing and the clear cut leader of the squad. Behind them is a bunch of riders who dont look like proper PT leaders but all have the ability to contribute nicely: Romo, Ackermann, Grosu, Inkelaar, Frankiny and Cosnefroy are all in that "contributers who arent really leaders" category. Some of them need to be raceplanned really well, some of them need a healthy dose of luck but sum of all of them certainly gives the team plenty of upside to climb outside the relegation spots.
13. Xero
The team could have tried to fight for the title but instead opted for another year of improvement. Areruya and Pidock are still the big duo and behind them they have the proven Evonik quality of Herregodts and Blums to add to it. This isnt a great team this year but the leaders are good enough to keep them up this year while the build for the next few years is shaping up nicely with the foundation of a TTT base or the signing of a future Vermeersch lieutenant in Meiler.
14. Fastned
The team suffered from a relative lack of activity during transfers and losing the bidding war for Kämna. The team needs a huge season by Vansevenant who is without a doubt the big star and without him at least repeating last years performances, they look like a team thats at risk of relegation. Van Hooydonck is the other leader of the squad and he should be solid again.
Behind them there is a bunch of contributors like Guerreiro, Kämna or Dombrowski who will do well occassionally. Overall, it doesnt look like a team that is safe from relegation but the pure quality of Vansevant and the lack of trying of multiple other teams makes me believe they end defending their spot in the PT for another year.
15. Hunter Valley
Hunter Valley is a team that looks a lot stronger on first glance than almost any other team in the bottom area of the division. Haig, Kasperkiewicz, Groves are three solid leaders with Storer, Thijssen and a solid TTT as further scorers. The crucial part of this is: They are all only solid, none of them is exceptionally strong. There is a reasonable chance that their top scorer will only have 700 points which puts a lot of pressure on their depth to contribute.
On the other side, the team is large with a ton of unmaxed riders on the lower ranks. I'm not sure if those riders can be planned in a way that turns the squad into somewhat deep lineups for the different races instead of carrying a lot of dead weight around.
There are a few ways where that might be foolish (e.g. Groves performing like a standout leader) but i think they are more likely to be pulled into the relegation fight than finish top ten.
A late addition to the relegation fight, Aker risked relegation to secure the transfer deal of Del Toro. Valter and Anderberg are the big two that are amongst the top leaders in their terrains and give them a chance to stay up. I rate Novak & Carboni as GT leaders for them but behind that, De Lie looks like the best possible chance for surprise points already alongside Nils Eekhoff as a rider for Arenberg. This total lack of depth scorers is a major trouble for the team.
I expect a close fight for them all season long. Ultimately, i think their top four riders are strong enough to give them a realistic shot at survival but i wouldnt want to bet on it.
17. cycleYorkshire
Lecuisinier & Cullaigh are a fantastic leader duo but i still fear a relegation danger. But:
- the team skipped three terrains entirely with Hills, TTs and cobbles not represented in the squad in any crucial way.
- the team has good mountain support for Lecuisinier but the riders might not be great scorers when racing on their own.
- They dont have a good leadout train. I dont trust Steimle and Buratti to deliver Cullaigh in a good position.
That all combined make me think that they might be in big relegation risk.
18. Zalgiris
Kmieliauskas is the face of the team and should be really solid already. Kanter is a strong sprinter who lacks a good leadout to push him up the sprinter ranks. Behind that, its riders like Nys and Lasinis who need to contribute and i dont rate either of them as strong enough (yet). The TTT team is solid but is a bit of a missed opportunity with Kmieliaskas and Beniusis as a good base to potentially attack the top spot.
19. Bolt
Bolt did two really bold gambles that will decide their season:
1. Does Ardila work as a stage race leader?
2. Can Gaviria and Peak co-exist?
And my best guess for both question is: Somewhat but not great. These three riders could be enough to pull them into a midfield finish but i dont see enough quality elsewhere if either of these questions turns into a "No"
Gazelle only has 20 riders earning less than the PCT cap. Some fantastic riders, a lot of typical Gazelle guys but imagine if they used used their whole cap. Do they even want to stay up?
21. Los Pollos Hermanos
LPH only has 20 riders earning less than the PCT cap. Higuita is still great, Ocampo surprisingly solid now and Ayuso is starting to be strong but imagine if they used the whole cap. Do they even want to stay up?
22. Ekoi
Vauquelin is a solid CT stage racing leader, a trio of good cobblers that are top of the CT and a reasonable time trial team. I think this is a top 3 team in the Continental division and looks ready to promote to PCT this year.
Agree with most things more or less. Wouldn't surprise me if any of the teams from 10th - 15th you have listed could end up in the fight as well, all it takes is one bad race with things being this close.
Vauquelin is a solid CT stage racing leader, a trio of good cobblers that are top of the CT and a reasonable time trial team. I think this is a top 3 team in the Continental division and looks ready to promote to PCT this year.
I have to agree with the promotion prediction here
