All change: sports director transfer market in full swing

While most of the major rider transfers have already been announced this summer, the sports director transfer market is still in full flow with a number of changes set to take place ahead of the 2024 season.

Starting with Lidl-Trek, one of the most active teams on the rider transfer market, the changes in the team management are relatively small. Maxime Monfort will join from Lotto Dstny and take a spot within the men’s team locker room. Jeroen Blijlevens will link up with the women’s team for next year.

At Ineos Grenadiers the news of Matteo Tosatto’s departure as a sports director has already been reported but GCN understands that another member of the senior performance team is set to leave his post at the end of the season.

Read more: Matteo Tosatto: Leaving Ineos Grenadiers for Tudor was the best decision for me

Meanwhile, performance coach Leigh Bryan is also expected to step back from the team. The British squad is currently going through a restructuring process but has yet to announce any new arrivals for next year, including new riders for their roster. GCN has reached out to the British team for confirmation on a number of changes but has not received a response.

Bora-Hansgrohe, who pulled off the transfer coup of the season with the signing of Primož Roglič from Jumbo-Visma on a two-year deal, have already welcomed Heinrich Haussler into their team management as a sports director.

Read more: Bora-Hansgrohe confirm arrival of 'inspirational' Primož Roglič

The Australian rider was forced to retire earlier this year due to health reasons and he will be joined by Shane Archbold and Patxi Vila.

Archbold was on the roster as recently as last week but called time on his racing career, while Vila returns to the German team after a three-year stretch at Movistar. Jean-Pierre Heynderickx and Jens Zemke will both leave the team at the end of the season with Zemke confirmed to join Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team in the off-season. He was part of the management organisation during their South African phase when the team was known as MTN Qhubeka and Team Dimension Data and he will link up again with team boss Doug Ryder.

At Jumbo-Visma and EF Education-EasyPost no departures are expected but both teams have informed GCN that they could add one spot to their core of sports directors.

There are major changes taking place involving the new women’s EF Education-Cannondale team, with Esra Tromp already having moved over from Jumbo-Visma. The women’s team at Jumbo has also undergone major changes with Maarten van Kooij joining as the team’s performance coach, while Jan Boven and Jos van Emden will be coaches. Carmen Small, who was a coach on the team, has left the squad for pastures new, whilst Lieselot Decroix has also moved to FDJ-SUEZ to be a performance director.

Over at UAE Team Emirates, there will be no alterations to their senior staff, although Jan Polanc and Yousif Mirza will be sports directors of the Gen Z development team in 2024. Cherie Pridham will take control of the women’s UAE Team ADQ.

© Sprint Cycling Agency

Trailblazing sports director Cherie Pridham has been on Lotto Dstny's staff for two seasons, but will now head up UAE Team ADQ in the women's peloton

AG2R Citroën are not expecting any major changes but the French team are expected to finalise and publish their list of staff on November 27.

GCN also understands that the men's Jayco-AlUla team will welcome experienced sports director Valerio Piva into their ranks. The Italian will leave Intermarché-Circus-Wanty at the end of the current campaign, and it’s not clear who will replace the 65-year-old.

Israel-Premier Tech will take one of their recently retired riders, Sep Vanmarcke as a sports director in 2024, while Dirk Demol has already announced that he will head to Lotto-Dstny, who are aiming to replace Allan Davis and Monfort, and have so far recruited retiring Lidl-Trek pro Tony Gallopin. GCN understands that the Israeli team are also interviewing other candidates for potentially one or two spots.

Soudal Quick-Step have informed GCN that they do not expect any sports director changes for the upcoming season.

Meanwhile, the UCI has confirmed to GCN that 80 participants will head to Aigle, Switzerland for the governing body's sports director course and exam session that will take place between October 30 and November 3.