Has The Cardinals received any funding from Banco Vaticano?
Sadly not, I heard they're into even more financial trouble now that they have their own cycling team...
Transfer Availabilities - Initial asking prices
It's less than 24 hours until the opening of this year's transfer window. We are still trying to get prepared - we do have plans, but we all know that you'll almost never have enough plans for transfers.
We found it helpful last year that team Bolt - Eesti published asking prices for all of their riders, so we will do the same. However, our prices are not set in stone. We set the initial prices by category of availability - once the highest availability level runs out of riders, the next wave will see their asking prices modified - if we are still in need of cash, that is. But if you don't want to wait and pull the trigger right away, you know what to do...
We do have some goals - one of them is making Kaden Groves the rider with the highest fee in team history to date. Until now, this title belongs to Nairo Quintana, who was sold for 1.2M back in 2022. However, we value the deal for Colin Stüssi last year even higher - between 1.5 and 1.6M - where we received 1.1M of cash plus a rider.
But for now, it's about the highest fee deal, so you can imagine Kaden's initial asking price. But enough words - let's take a look at the numbers:
Rider
2026 Wage
Asking price
Likely to leave
Kaden Groves
320'000 €
1.21M €
Muhammad Abdurrahman
90'000 €
450k €
Teten Rohendi
90'000 €
300k €
AOP Setiawa
55'000 €
250k €
"El Chapu" Chapulin
100'000 €
400k €
Filippo Colombo
50'000 €
300k €
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Maybe, maybe not
Niklas Larsen
100'000 €
1.2M €
Jose Fernandes
100'000 €
750k €
Gergely Szarka
125'000 €
750k €
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Unlikely to leave
Pablo Castrillo
240'000 €
2M €
Jake Stewart
115'000 €
1.2M €
Jan Sommer
70'000 €
750k €
Christoph Janssen
50'000 €
750k €
Nils Aebersold
55'000 €
750k €
Robin Donze
55'000 €
750k €
Roman Holzer
60'000 €
750k €
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Unavailable
Mauro Schmid
400'000 €
5M €
Fabio Christen
80'000 €
5M €
Valentin Darbellay
190'000 €
3M €
Stefan Bissegger
120'000 €
2M €
Notice that Filippo Colombo has moved to the highest availability category between the initial list and today - mostly because of another team with a secondary focus on Switzerland popping up (they are also welcome to talk about any kind of discounts with us).
The availability categories will change as well once the most available riders are gone - but don't expect everyone to simply move up, as we still have to keep roster composition in mind.
By the way, the three Indonesians could leave in a package deal. You may notice that their combined asking price is 1M - we might think about a discount if we can package them, but if any of them gets individual interest, we'll take whatever option is more interesting for us.
We will mostly be looking for plain cash offers. But starting from the mentioned asking price, we can also consider swaps to increase a deal's total value.
In terms of overbids, we will go with the following limits - so we're clear and hopefully won't need to justify to the MGUCI why we won't accept an offer that's just 500 € higher than the previous one:
Fee Range
Minimum overbid
50k - 100k
10k
100k - 250k
20k
250k - 1M
50k
1M - 2M
100k
>2M
200k
Loan-ins wanted
As usual, we will also reserve a couple of roster spots for talents who need a loan - they can be any level, but lvl 4 talents should have at least 4.50 XP.
We will also try to reserve up to 100k of wage cap for loans. This obviously depends on our sales activity, and we will confirm this number as soon as we can make sure it's possible.
If you plan to do a major 1->3 loan, please reach out as soon as possible, as we can then reserve our full loan cap for you - and also the 100k in cap space, if we are able to grant it!
General
The above statements are our initial transfer plans. Do not hesitate to reach out with any of your ideas - we're always open to talk, and the worst that can happen is that we can't agree on a deal.
We're also always happy to participate in fancy moves - we did one last year as well, loaning out and funding training for Stefan Bissegger... So hit us up with your weirdest ideas, we might actually make them work!
Yes, we've taken our time to post our first update. Mainly because not much has happened for us in the first couple of days. But now, it's time to release the big announcement, and to publish a worthy goodbye post.
Kaden Groves joined us two years ago, for the 2024 season. We always had him on our list, but his signing finally came out of desperation - a deal we had for Lukasz Wisniowski was replaced by another deal a couple of hours before the final sealing (by an invalid confirmation that we even informed the concerned manager of). The FA market had already ran out of big leaders (or they were too expensive), and we didn't have tons of cash.
So we placed a 670k bid on Kaden - the highest we've ever done so far. It was a huge wage - but in retrospect, we certainly do not regret having signed him!
His first season was the stronger one - a great one actually! These were his biggest moments:
Kaden won the Ronde van Nederland GC + points for the 2nd time in a row, laying a solid foundation for our relatively easy survival run!
In the Tour de France, Kaden got what probably is the most prestigious award for a sprinter - the Maillot Vert! Sadly, there's no picture of this huge success - instead, we can see him winning stage 15 of the Tour!
He won two more stages, one in Praha, and one in Deutschland. We were hoping for a little more, but just the Green Jersey win made this a fantastic season for him! 943 points is a fantastic score, and the highest to date in team history!
In 2025, Kaden sadly didn't quite perform at the same level, like the entire team basically. Dropping from 943 to just 655 points hurt us a lot - but making him responsible for our relegation would definitely not be fair. Everyone lacked that additional gear, including Kaden.
After 4 stage wins, a GC and two points jerseys in 2024, he only got two stage wins in 2025. However, he did win the most prestigious stage a sprinter can ever win:
Sadly, he couldn't match Aniolkowski's amazing consistency, failing in particular in hillier stages that should have suited him better. But taking 2nd place in the Maillot Vert standings, he once again showed how great a rider he is!
And now, he's gone. It's the end of a short era - but one that will forever be remembered, getting the team's first stage wins at Le Tour - and even the Maillot Vert! Only two years - but some amazing achievements!
Kaden does not only hold the records for the highest score and the highest wage in a year - he also takes the lead in the "highest transfer fee" table! The top spot formerly belonged to Nairo Quintana, who left the team after relegation to CT in 2022 for 1.2M.
One of our goals was to honour Kaden by getting a higher fee, as he's without any doubt the best rider we've had so far (even though MGUCI thinks otherwise, looking at OVL and wages). In the end, Hunter Valley Cycling signed Kaden for a 1.35M transfer fee. We're not just happy with the money, but also with the deal partner - an Australian team definitely being the best fit for Kaden!
Thank you for your great contributions and the great memories you leave behind, Kaden! All the best - and hopefully you'll rock Le Tour many more times!
However, it's not just Kaden - we also had a few other riders leaving the team:
Departures
While it was clear that there was some interest around Kaden, our other transfer-listed riders didn't have the same success so far. Even though most of them will probably leave the team soon, as we have several tentative deals, it was a rider of the "Maybe, maybe not" category who was sold next.
Joining us only last year from Bolt - Eesti, Jose Fernandes had a solid season in PT, sometimes making good use of his great physical condition. However, he didn't quite live up to our expectations in the hilly-TT hybrid races. We're sure that PCT is a more fitting division - but he'll be even better in CT! Jose joins Czech outfit IESE ProCycling Team, who paid a nice 700k fee for the Portuguese!
Obgrigado Jose, and all the best for the future!
Our last departure is a special one. In fact, we didn't plan on doing this deal, but at some point Peugeot were about to be labelled "The preferred car of cobbler retirement homes" - something we didn't like, so we needed to salvage them. You'll find the complete details in the "Arrivals" section, but what we can tell you is that Andreas Odie Purnama Setiawa - or simply "Odie" or "AOP" - left us in that deal. So no, our dream of the three Indonesians returning home didn't materialize, but we're sure that Odie will enjoy the life in Paris (just next to Peugeot's HQ)!
Odie joined us back in 2023, being a valuable member of our TTT outfit and also a good contributor in hilly-TT races in that PCT season. In 2024, he also did a good job as a breakaway rider, whereas in 2025 things didn't quite click for him. But we appreciated having him, ever reliable, always there for depth results - and now back in PCT we're sure he will be able to shine again!
Goodbye, Odie, and please don't crush us too hard out on the PCT roads!
Arrivals
We lost three Swiss riders during renewals who we had the intention to re-sign. Sadly, we missed out on two of them. Antoine Aebi now rides for the new Italo-Japanese Fincantieri - Grand Seiko team, who also has a secondary focus on Switzerland. Felix Stehli has signed with Tafjord - a deal we never understood how and why it happened, but it unfortunately did. So the two puncheurs we maxed last year unfortunately didn't return - while it was a worthwile FA experience for Stehli, gaining more than demanded in renewals, it was a clear loss for Aebi...
We were however able to re-sign one rider, and this one is Lorenzo Delco, our only FA signing for the time being! We intended to submit an offer later in transfers, but when Evonik recognized his value as a great allrounder, we had to react - so Lorenzo joins us on a 55k wage, which is 5k less than last season. Welcome back, Lorenzo - and for those who don't remember him, here's his skillset:
Lorenzo Delco
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
Lorenzo Delco
73
72
73
73
70
75
74
75
67
64
72
68
77
71
Lorenzo is our man who will basically ride every race without complaining (OK, Arenberg might not be the best fit). He's super useful everywhere, and it's a pity that he's already 31 - the only reason why renewing him wasn't a top priority.
But we're happy to have him back, and we're sure he'll also be active in breakaways once again!
Cameron Rogers
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
Cameron Rogers
73
62
65
68
71
72
70
68
65
65
67
71
67
74
Rogers, Australia - that reminds us of someone... And indeed, Cameron is the nephew of 3-times ITT World Champion (IRL, not MG) Michael Rogers. So he'll be a great TTer as well, without any doubt.
Unfortunately, Cameron only joins us on loan, having been signed by Ekoi - Renault. We're happy to provide him a home for one year, teaching him the basics of TTing (as if he didn't already know). Welcome, Cameron, we hope you'll enjoy your year in the Swiss mountains (or rather in the Velodrome?)!
Benjamin Thomas
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
Benjamin Thomas
73
56
61
66
78
75
73
70
64
74
79
64
66
79
This is the other part of the "Saving Peugeot" deal. We've always liked the look of Ben's statline, in particular these prologue skills could come in quite handy - having 80-79-78 as top PRL skills shouldn't be too bad in some races.
Even though we never intended signing him - mind you, two out of three arrivals so far are 31 y.o. - we're not unhappy at all to have him, adding back some TT depth after Jose's departure.
However, we're not sure yet if Ben will indeed stay for the season - rumors are he could make it one of the shortest stints in our preliminary roster...
But for the time being - Bienvenue, Ben, and we hope you enjoy meeting our team!
That's it for now, but we're sure that we'll have more news in a couple of days. Transfers are far from over, even though certain managers start claiming so!
Great to have Delco back, very neat rider! And enjoyed the Groves farewell write-up
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant." [PT] Xero Racing
I agree that Groves found a great fitting new home. Thomas is a cool rider that could teach Rogers quite some tricks, so thanks for taking him in as a mentor (and of course for taking care of Rogers too)!
Great to have Delco back, very neat rider! And enjoyed the Groves farewell write-up
Yeah, was fun looking back at these great wins! He didn't have many, but most of them were very special!
And having Delco is definitively positive news, indeed
I agree that Groves found a great fitting new home. Thomas is a cool rider that could teach Rogers quite some tricks, so thanks for taking him in as a mentor (and of course for taking care of Rogers too)!
Bissegger would be there as a mentor as well - but Thomas obviously has more experience, so that should be a really cool situation for Cameron
Transfer Update #2 - The Talent
Just one update today - but it's a big one. At least for us.
You all knew that there was one target in Free Agency for us. One talent. Potential 7.
Yes, we admit that we were a bit disappointed when we checked his skillset. In younger years, there was hope that he would have the potential to become Switzerland's next (in MG: first) GT winner. But in recent years it became clear that this unfortunately isn't on the table in the real world - and sadly this is reflected in the MG database. We'll see why we don't believe in a GT win.
But we're still more than happy to welcome him on board - ladies and gentlemen, here is:
Jan Christen
FL
MO
MM
HI
TT
ST
RS
RC
CB
SP
AC
FG
DH
PR
Jan Christen
69
67
68
68
67
68
71
63
66
59
69
73
66
69
2029
74
79
79
73
71
77
79
71
67
61
75
78
72
71
2029
78
70
71
72
79
75
79
70
66
60
69
79
67
81
2029
73
70
77
80
71
76
77
67
66
66
78
81
70
72
Jan has finally arrived and is joining his brother Fabio. Fun fact - the two are currently the only Swiss riders in the MGUCI world to be rated with maximum potential. And we have both of them.
Yes, Jan won't be a GT winner. He does have that pretty cool statline which should make him a great attacking climber, hardly ever tiring. But three weeks with 71 resistance? No way. Will we still pick this path? We'll see. Because with Castrillo, we have a pretty similar rider (yet stronger on the hills) about to reach his maximum level.
So, will we pick the TT path? By the time Jan maxes, Bissegger will be 31, so that would be some pretty cool timing. And having the Christen brothers battling for prologue wins would be fun to see, right?
Or will he develop into a great puncheur - though much more one-dimensional than Mauro Schmid? Probably not, but at least he wouldn't have any issues with stamina.
There's a lot of questions to be answered over the course of the next three years - but for now, we're happy to make the family reunion happen! To be honest, pretty much everyone expected us to do so - however, we weren't quite sure that it would work. Had Jan really been a potential GT winner, we'd have had no chance bidding against PT teams. And had UBS not put their focus for transfers on Portugal, we might have struggled as well.
But now he's here, and we're looking forward to having both Christens on board for the next decade!
Other news
While some managers are already shutting down their transfer offices, we still have quite some discussions ongoing. And also a deal ongoing, which we'll likely talk about tomorrow. We're in the very comfortable situation that we have enough riders and are under cap space, and even have loan cap available - we're looking forward to the next couple of days, where we still expect some nice opportunities to arise!
We'll be looking to loan in one or two more riders, collecting even more training funds - and just having fun discussing with other managers Thanks to you all to make that experience happen!
Hopefully it's going to be fun - and we'll see if it's the only time in transfers we get in touch 
Kaden Groves the rider with the highest fee in team history to date. Until now, this title belongs to 
Nairo Quintana, who was sold for 1.2M back in 2022. However, we value the deal for 
Colin Stüssi last year even higher - between 1.5 and 1.6M - where we received 1.1M of cash plus a rider.
Benjamin Thomas 
