If the cases of Axel Laurance or Nairo Quintana, see Mark Cavendish should not be included in this category of good deals for Pro Team formations, several other riders deserve special attention for all formations that would still have some budget to hire one or more runners. The Velo-Club editorial team has therefore selected a dozen names for you.
Nick Schultz: in this list it is surely he who has the best market value. Author of a very good 2022 season, in which he narrowly missed out on a prestigious victory on the roads of the Tour de France, the Australian rider is an excellent boxer, who could flourish in a Pro Team where he would necessarily have more freedom than in the World Tour, where he often he has to act as a model teammate for his leaders.
Alan Bolleau: At only 23 years old, Alan Boileau has already won 5 successes with the professionals. And if the young French rider has raised his arms in the minor events on the calendar, he is still a rider capable of raising his arms, who doesn’t race on the streets of the second division where so many teams are struggling to win. . He therefore deserves to be relaunched and to be able to express himself next year in the Pro Team.
Cees Bol: fast in the sprint, Cees Bol had a rather complicated year in 2022, even if he was able to raise his arms in the Tour of Great Britain. Winner of a Paris-Nice stage in 2022, the Dutchman could not lose his top speed and, like Boileau, deserves to be relaunched to a lower level to regain confidence.
Peter Roland: one of the darlings of the French public is still uncertain about the 2022 season, and nobody really knows yet if he will be able to continue the adventure with the professionals next year, and at the same time afford a real farewell tour and why not also raise his arms one last time among the pros.
Pietro Barbieri: fast in the sprint, Pierre Barbier is certainly one of the B&B Hotels runners who have the best chance of finding a contract. The only problem for the Frenchman, as for all his team-mates, concerns the times and the lack of places in the squad in December. However, if a Pro Team can convince a sponsor to launch an extension, it would certainly be a winning bet for 2023.
Frank Bonnamour: super combative of the Tour de France 2021, and winner of the Polynormande in 2022, Franck Bonnamour arrives at the transfer market with a good resume, and should logically find a way out easily, because if no World-Tour offers him a contract, it seems impossible that no Pro Team has the talent to sign the Frenchman at the last minute.
Kevin Rivera: Disappeared from the radar after the sudden closure of the Gazprom – Rusvelo structure, Kevin Rivera has a certain talent, even if things have become more complicated for him since 2020. Winner of Sibiu in 2019, but also of a stage in Langkawi, the young Costa Rican deserves to have a real chance in the Pro Team to express all his qualities as a climber-boxer.
Niccolo Bonifazio: very fast in the sprint, Niccolò Bonifazio was curiously sidelined by Total Energies, which did not renew the Italian’s contract for the 2023 season. exit for Bonifazio.
Jeremy Lekroq: solicited during the summer, Jérémy Lecroq unfortunately placed his trust in B&B Hôtels, which deprived him of a great opportunity with World-Tour training. Let’s therefore hope that the opportunity will arise again, for this rather rare profile in the peloton, of a rider capable of shining on the Flandriennes, and of perfectly fulfilling his role as teammate.
Cyril Barthe: fast in the sprint and capable of overcoming bumps, Cyril Barthe deserves to be able to keep his place for at least another year in the groups where he could why not take his first success with the professionals. In any case, that’s what we wish him, because as with everyone else, timing plays against him.
Maximum Knight: certainly very talented, Maxime Chevalier unfortunately has a less salesman profile, that of the climber, who finds it increasingly difficult to raise his arms and find opportunities to shine throughout the season. Despite everything, he could receive an offer from a low-ranking Pro Team, who would be looking for a rider comfortable in the mountains for minor races on the calendar, whether they are in Africa or Asia, see Eastern Europe.
Alexander Kamp: 3rd in the Bretagne Classic in August, Alexander Kamp has not yet officially renewed his contract with Trek-Segafredo. It remains to be seen whether this is the case ‘unofficially’, or if he simply has already signed a contract at the only team that has yet to announce any recruitment, i.e. Fabian Cancellara’s Tudor formation, but if not, there isn’t it is doubtful that his profile would interest more than a second division team.
