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Blanka Vas secures an early release from her SD Worx-Protime contract to join rival team Lidl-Trek on October 1. The Hungarian champion signs a long-term deal with the American squad that runs through the end of the 2028 season.

The move gives Vas more leadership opportunities after a season that fell short of expectations. For Lidl-Trek, it adds a versatile, multi-discipline talent to its roster, strengthening its classics and cyclocross ambitions for the coming years.

Remco Evenepoel finishes fifth in the GP de Montréal, a dress rehearsal for the World Championships. He reports lacking his usual punch on a course nearly identical to the one he will face in his upcoming rainbow jersey defense.

Despite the result, Evenepoel and his team express no concern, viewing the race as a sharpener. Former winner Greg Van Avermaet still considers him the top favourite, suggesting this performance won't change expectations for his World Championship title defense.

Oscar Onley (Netcompany-Ineos) finishes his debut Grand Tour, the Vuelta a España, in sixth place overall. The Scottish rider also secures the white jersey as the race's Best Young Rider, surviving a tough final mountain stage to hold his classification lead.

Onley's performance provides a major success for Netcompany-Ineos in a race where they lost their primary leader. It establishes the young Scot as a genuine Grand Tour general classification contender and a key rider for the team's future ambitions.

Lidl-Trek's Mattias Skjelmose withdraws from the World Championships in Montreal. The Danish rider says his 'body can't take it anymore' after completing an exhausting Tour de France and Vuelta a España double, where he also suffered from illness.

Denmark loses a co-leader and what national coach Michael Mørkøv called their 'biggest chance for a world champion'. The decision highlights the extreme physical toll of racing multiple Grand Tours and its impact on riders' late-season goals.

Cédrine Kerbaol signs a two-year contract to join SD Worx-Protime, starting with the 2027 season. The French rider will leave EF Education-Oatly at the end of 2026 after spending two seasons with the American-registered squad.

The move locks in a promising young talent for the sport's most dominant team. For Kerbaol, it represents a major career step but also brings the challenge of finding leadership opportunities within a squad of established superstars.

Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) secures third place overall at the Vuelta a España. This marks his second Grand Tour podium of the 2026 season, following his second-place finish at the Giro d'Italia earlier in the year.

Gall's consistent high placings establish him as a top-tier Grand Tour contender. His performance solidifies Decathlon CMA CGM's status as a team capable of challenging for the biggest prizes, shifting focus towards a potential future victory.