2021 season: World Tour transfers - All the changes for the professional cyclists

With Christopher Froome, Israel Start-Up Nation has secured the wealth of experience of the four-time Tour de France winner. In contrast, Lotto-Soudal is focussing on its own young talent for the 2021 season and has promoted five cyclists from the team's own U23 squad to the first choice.

Three German racers will make the leap to the World Tour in 2021: European cross-country champion Ben Zwiehoff will be riding on road tyres instead of studded tyres at BORA-hansgrohe. The 18-year-old Marco Brenner will be competing in the men's World Tour for the first time in 2021 with Team Sunweb. Ski mountaineer and mountain runner Anton Palzer is also making a remarkable lateral entry. The 27-year-old Palzer will ride for Bora-hansgrohe in 2021. A total of 33 Germans will ride the World Tour in 2021.

Here is an overview of all the changes so far, with German drivers bolded to make them easier to recognise:

AG2R Citroën Team (formerly AG2R La Mondiale)

• New additions: Greg Van Avermaet (CCC Team), Michael Schär (CCC Team), Gijs Van Hoecke (CCC Team), Stan Dewulf (Lotto Soudal), Damien Touzé (Team Cofidis), Marc Sarreau (Groupama-FDJ), Bob Jungels (Deceuninck - Quick-Step Team), Lilian Calmejane (Team Total Direct Energie), Ben O'Connor (NTT Pro Cycling), Nicolas Prodhomme (Team Cofidis), Anthony Jullien (AG2R La Mondiale)
• Departures: Romain Bardet (Team DSM), Alexandre Geniez (Team Total Direct Energie), Alexis Vuillermoz (Team Total Direct Energie), Pierre Latour (Team Total Direct Engine), Harry Tanfield (Team Qhubeka Assos), Quentin Jauregui (B&B Hotels - Vital Concept p/b KTM), Silvan Dillier (Alpecin-Fenix), Stijn Vandenbergh (end of career), Axel Domont (end of career), Clément Chevrier (end of career).

Astana-Premier Tech (formerly Astana Pro Team)

• New signings: Samuele Battistella (NTT Pro Cycling), Stefan De Bod (NTT Pro Cycling), Andrea Piccolo (Team Colpack Ballan), Ben Perry (Israel Cycling Academy), Javier Romo, Matteo Sobrero (NTT Pro Cycling), Yevgeniy Fedorov (Vino-Astana Motors), Gleb Brussenskiy (Vino-Astana Motors).
• Departures: Miguel Angel Lopez (Movistar Team), Laurens de Vreese (Alpecin-Fenix), Daniil Fominykh, Zhandos Bizhigitov (end of career), Hernando Bohórquez.

Bahrain - Victorious (formerly Bahrain - McLaren)

• New arrivals: Jack Haig (Mitchelton-SCOTT), Gino Mäder (NTT Pro Cycling), Jonathan Milan (Cycling Team Friuli ASD), Ahmed Madan (Bahrain Cycling Academy).
• Departures: Ivan Garcia Cortina (Movistar Team), Enrico Battaglin (Bardiani-CSF-Faizane), Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck - QuickStep), Grega Bole, Luka Pibernik.

BORA-hansgrohe

• New additions: Nils Politt (Israel Start-Up Nation), Frederik Wandahl (ColoQuick), Matthew Walls (Trinity Racing), Wilco Kelderman (Team Sunweb), Ben ZwiehoffGiovanni Aleotti (Cycling Team Friuli ASD), Jordi Meeus (SEG Racing Academy), Anton PalzerCian Uijtdebroeks.
• Departures: Gregor Mühlberger (Movistar Team), Rafal Majka (UAE Team Emirates), Oscar Gatto (end of career), Jempy Drucker (Cofidis), Jay McCarthy, Pawel Poljanski.

Team CCC (dissolved)

• Departures: Greg Van Avermaet (AG2R Citroën), Michael Schär (AG2R Citroën), Gijs Van Hoecke (AG2R Citroën), Patrick Bevin (Israel Start-Up Nation), Fausto Masnada (Deceuninck - Quick-Step Team), Nathan van Hooydonck (Team Jumbo-Visma), Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates), Alessandro De Marchi (Israel Start-Up Nation), Attila Valter (Groupama-FDJ), Ilnur Zakarin (Gazprom-RusVelo), Kamil Malecki (Lotto Soudal). Szymon Sajnok (Cofidis), Victor de la Parte (Team Total Direct Energie), Simon Geschke (Cofidis), Joey Rosskopf (Rally Cycling), Jonas Koch (Circus - Wanty Gobert), Georg Zimmermann (Circus - Wanty Gobert), Jan Hirt (Circus - Wanty Gobert), Serge Pauwels (end of career), Will Barta (EF Pro Cycling), Jakub Marezcko (Vini Zabu-KTM), Josef Cerny (Deceuninck - Quick-Step), Pavel Kochetkov (Gazprom-RusVelo), Kamil Gradek (Vini Zabu-KTM), Lukasz Wisniowski (Team Qhubeka ASSOS).

Cofidis Solutions Crédits

• New signings: Jelle Wallays (Lotto Soudal), Andre Carvalho (Hagens Berman Axeon), Tom Bohli (UAE Team Emirates), Szymon Sajnok (CCC Team), Simon Geschke (CCC Team), Jempy Drucker (BORA-hansgrohe), Rubén Fernández (Euskaltel - Euskadi), Rémy Rochas (Nippo Delko One Provence), Thomas Champion.
• Departures: Damien Touzé (AG2R Citroën), Cyril Lemoine (B&B Hotels - Vital Concept p/b KTM), Luis Ángel Maté (Euskaltel - Euskadi), Dimitri Claeys (Team Qhubeka ASSOS), Julien Vermote, Jesper Hansen (career end), Stéphane Rossetto, Mathias Le Turnier (DELKO), Marco Mathis.

Decceuninck-Quickstep

• New arrivals: Mark Cavendish (Bahrain - McLaren), Josef Cerny (CCC Team).
• Departures: Bob Jungels (AG2R Citroën Team).

EF Education-Nippo (formerly EF Pro Cycling)

• Newcomers: Hideto Nakane (Nippo Delko One Provence), Michael Valgren (NTT Pro Cycling), Will Barta (CCC Team), Fumiyuki Beppu (Nippo Delko One Provence), Diego Andres Camargo (Colombia Tierra de Atletas - GW Bicicletas), Daniel Arroyave, Julien El Fares (Nippo Delko One Provence), Simon Carr (Nippo Delko one Provence).
• Departures: Daniel Felipe Martinez (Ineos Grenadiers), Michael Woods (Israel Start-Up Nation), Tanel Kangert (GreenEdge Cycling), Sep Vanmarcke (Israel Start-Up Nation), Kristoffer Halvorsen (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team), Simon Clarke (Team Qhubeka ASSOS), Sean Bennett (Team Qhubeka ASSOS), Kristoffer Halvorsen (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team), Mitchell Docker, Luis Villalobos, Jonathan Klever Caicedo.

Groupama-FDJ

• New arrivals: Attila Valter (CCC Team), Matteo Badilatti (Israel Start-Up Nation), Clément Davy (Equipe continentale Groupama-FDJ), Lars van den Berg (Equipe continentale Groupama-FDJ).
• Departures: Marc Sarreau (AG2R Citroën Team), Kilian Frankiny (Team Qhubeka ASSOS), Léo Vincent.

Intermarché Wanty Gobert (formerly Circus Wanty Gobert)

• Newcomers: Rein Taaramae (Team Total Direct Energie), Baptiste Planckaert (Bingoal-Wallonie Bruxelles), Lousi Meintjes (NTT Pro Cycling), Jan Hirt (CCC Team), Jonas Koch (CCC Team), Georg Zimmermann (CCC Team), Lorenzo Rota (Vini Zabu-KTM), Taco van der Hoorn (Team Jumbo-Visma), Riccardo Minali (Nippo Delko One Provence).
• Departures: Yoann Offredo (end of career), Fabien Doubey (Team Total Direct Energie), Xandro Meurisse (Alpecin-Fenix), Timothy Dupont (Bingoal-Wallonie Bruxelles), Thomas Degand, Alfdan De Decker (Tarteletto - Isorex).

Israel Start-Up Nation

• Newcomers: Chris Froome (INEOS Grenadiers), Michael Woods (EF Pro Cycling), Carl Fredrik Hagen (Lotto Soudal), Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-SCOTT), Patrick Bevin (CCC Team), Sebastian Berwick (St George Continental Cycling Team), Taj Jones (Israel Cycling Academy), Alessandro De Marchi (CCC Team), Sep Vanmarcke (EF Pro Cycling).
• Departures: Nils Politt (BORA-hansgrohe), Rory Sutherland (career end), Daniel Navarro, Mihkel Raim, Travis McCabe (career end), Patrick Schelling, Matteo Badilatti (Groupama - FDJ).

Lotto-Soudal

• New arrivals: Viktor Verschaeve (Lotto Soudal U23), Sebastien Grignard (Lotto Soudal U23), Andreas Kron (Riwal Securitas Cycling Team), Filippo Conca (Biesse Arvedi), Harry Sweeny (Lotto Soudal U23), Sylvain Moniquet (Equipe continentale Groupama-FDJ), Xandres Vervloesem (Lotto Soudal U23), Kamil Malecki (CCC Team), Maxim Van Gils (Lotto Soudal U23).
• Departures: Carl Fredrik Hagen (Israel Start-Up Nation), Stan Dewulf (AG2R Citroën Team), Jelle Wallays (Cofidis), Remy Mertz (Bingoal-Wallonie Bruxelles), Adam Hansen (career end), Nikolas Maes (career end), Sander Armée (Team Qhubeka Assos), Jonathan Dibben (career end), Brian van Goethem, Rasmus Iversen.

Movistar

• New arrivals: Iván García Cortina (Bahrain McLaren), Gregor Mühlberger (BORA - hansgrohe), Abner González, Miguel Ángel López (Astana Pro Team), Gonzalo Serrano (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA).
• Departures: Jürgen Roelandts (end of career), Eduardo Sepúlveda (Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec), Eduard Prades (DELKO One Provence), Carlos Betancur.

Team Bike Exchange (formerly Mitchelton - Scott)

• Newcomers: Michael Matthews (Team Sunweb), Tanel Kangert (EF Pro Cycling), Amund Grondahl (Team Jumbo-Visma), Kevin Colleoni (Biesse Arvedi)
• Departures: Michael Albasini (end of career), Adam Yates (Team INEOS), Daryl Impey (Israel Start-Up Nation), Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious), Eduardo Affini (Team Jumbo-Visma).

Team DSM (formerly Team Sunweb)

• New arrivals: Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale), Marco Brenner (Team Auto Eder Bayern), Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Team), Kevin Vermaerke (Hagens Berman Axeon), Niklas Märkl (Development Team Sunweb), Romain Combaud (Nippo Delko One Provence).
• Departures: Sam Oomen (Team Jumbo-Visma), Michael Matthews (GreenEdge Cycling), Wilco Kelderman (BORA-hansgrohe), Robert Power (Team Qhubeka ASSOS), Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates).

Team INEOS

• Newcomers: Richie Porte (Trek - Segafredo), Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott), Daniel Felipe Martínez (EF Pro Cycling), Laurens De Plus (Team Jumbo-Visma), Thomas Pidcock.
• Departures: Chris Froome (Israel Start-Up Nation), Ian Stannard (end of career), Chris Lawless (Team Total Direct Energie), Vasil Kiryienka (end of career), Christian KneesCameron Wurf.

Team Jumbo-Visma

• New signings: David Dekker (SEG Racing Academy), Gijs Leemreize (Jumbo-Visma Development Team), Edoardo Affini (Mitchelton-SCOTT), Nathan Van Hooydonck (CCC Team), Sam Oomen (Team Sunweb), Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma Development Team), Gijs Leemreize (Jumbo-Visma Development Team).
• Departures: Laurens de Plus (Team Ineos), Amund Grøndahl Jansen (GreenEDGE Cycling), Tom Leezer (end of career), Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarché Wanty Gobert), Bert-Jan Lindemann (Team Qhubeka ASSOS).

Team Qhubeka ASSOS (formerly NTT Pro Cycling)

• New additions: Dimitri Claeys (Cofidis), Simon Clarke (EF Pro Cycling), Kilian Frankiny (Groupama-FDJ), Lukasz Wisniowski (CCC Team), Sean Bennett (EF Pro Cycling), Karel Vacek (Team Colpack Ballan), Fabio Aru (UAE-Team Emirates), Robert Power (Team Sunweb), Bert-Jan Lindemann (Team Jumbo-Visma), Sergio Henao (UAE-Team Emirates), Matteo Pelucchi (Bardiani-CSF-Faizané), Sander Armée (Lotto-Soudal), Lasse Norman Hansen (Alpecin-Fenix), Emil Vinjebo (Riwal Securitas Cycling Team), Mauro Schmid (Leopard Pro Cycling), Harry Tanfield (AG2R La Mondiale), Connor Brown (NTT Continental Cycling Team)
• Departures: Ben O'Connor (AG2R Citroën), Ryan Gibbons (UAE Team Emirates), Rasmus Tiller (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team), Michael Valgren (EF Pro Cycling), Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (Trek-Segafredo), Roman Kreuziger (Gazprom-RusVelo), Matteo Sobrero (Astana-Premier Tech), Samuele Battistella (Astana-Premier Tech), Stefan De Bod (Astana-Premier Tech), Louis Meintjes (Circus-Wanty Gobert), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Total Direct Energie), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Total Direct Energy), Enrico Gasparotto (end of career), Louis Meintjes (Intermarché Wanty Gobert), Danilo Wyss, Benjamin Dyball (Team UKYO), Ryan Gibbons (UAE-Team Emirates), Ben King (Rally Cycling), Gino Mäder (Bahrain - Victorious), Jay Robert Thomson (end of career), Michael Carbel (end of career), Shotaro Iribe.

Trek-Segafredo

• New arrivals: Antonio Tiberi (Team Colpack Ballan), Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (NTT Pro Cycling), Matthias Skjelmose Jensen (Leopard Pro Cycling), Jakob Egholm (Hagens Berman Axeon)
• Departures: Richie Porte (Team Ineos), Pieter Weening (end of career), Will Clarke.

UAE Team Emirates