Two important transfers in professional cycling: the French time trial champion joins the Dutch team, while the Italian strengthens Remco's new team.
Two of the top teams in professional cycling have made major signings for 2026. Visma-Lease a Bike has announced the signing of French time trial champion Bruno Armirail from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, while Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe has secured Mattia Cattaneo, who will follow Remco Evenepoel as he moves from Soudal-QuickStep.
Armirail, 31, is still seeking his first WorldTour victory after eight seasons at the highest level. Having turned pro with Groupama-FDJ in 2018, where he remained for six seasons before joining Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale in 2024, he has distinguished himself as an aggressive rider, winning the mountains classification at both the Tour of the Basque Country and the Critérium du Dauphiné this year, in addition to the French national time trial title.
A significant moment in his career was wearing the pink jersey for two days at the 2023 Giro d'Italia, earned thanks to a victorious breakaway in stage 14. He finished that race in 16th place overall, won by Primož Roglič.
'It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in my career to race for one of the best teams in the world.'Armirail declared.
"I want to challenge myself by changing environment and racing for a foreign team for the first time. I can't wait to be part of a team that can compete for victory in almost every race."
On the other hand, Mattia Cattaneo, 34, will follow Evenepoel to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. The Italian, who has ridden with the Belgian champion since 2020, brings with him the experience of 14 Grand Tours and a WorldTour time trial victory at the 2023 Tour de Pologne.
Ralph Denk, CEO of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, emphasized the importance of these expert connections:
"With Mattia, we continue our strategy of pairing young talent with experienced professionals. He brings racing knowledge and experience, along with a great engine that provides crucial power for the team—from the Classics to the Grand Tours."
