This season saw the retirement of stars such as Alberto Contador and Tom Boonen, but it's time to start thinking about the new generation, and Cyclingnews has picked out 10 'neo-pros' to watch over the course of the 2018 season.
The UCI's official definition of a new professional, or neo-pro, is "any rider who joins a UCI WorldTeam or UCI Professional Continental Team for the first time no later than during his twenty-fifth year". Technically, such riders remain neo-pros for two seasons since they must be given contracts of at least two years, so while we could include the likes of David Gaudu, who has already made his mark in the pro ranks, we've compiled a list from those who are making the jump this winter.
Pavel Sivakov (20, Team Sky)
Winner of the U23 Giro d’Italia, the Ronde de l’Isard, and the Giro della Valle d’Aosta, Pavel Sivakov has been the outstanding rider on the men’s U23 scene this year. An off-day ruled him out of the general classification at the Tour de l’Avenir but he made up for it with another solo raid in the mountains on the final day.
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There doesn’t seem to be a weakness in his armoury. He has more of a rouleur’s engine than a climber’s physiology but, as he showed this year, he can be devastating in the mountains. He also has a fast finish and is able to perform in one-day races, winning the junior Tour of Flanders in 2015 and finishing second at the U23 Liege-Bastogne-Liege last year.
Sivakov, of Russian descent but soon to be with French citizenship, came through the BMC Development Team but has signed for Sky, much to the chagrin of those at BMC, who have since shut down the feeder set-up.
There are question marks over how well youngsters can develop at Sky, not least any Grand Tour prospects, but after enjoying success with Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome at relatively ripe ages, the British team is now wholeheartedly investing in youth. They’ve even signed Egan Bernal, the Colombian prodigy who won the Tour de l’Avenir. That in turn raises its own question marks over how he and Sivakov can progress jointly, but what's not in doubt is the almost limitless potential.
Bjorg Lambrecht (20, Lotto Soudal)
Neilson Powless (21, LottoNL-Jumbo)
Lucas Hamilton (21, Orica-Scott)
Kristoffer Halvorsen (21, Team Sky)
Chris Lawless (22, Team Sky)
Eddie Dunbar (21, Aqua Blue Sport)
Jai Hindley (21, Sunweb)
Benoit Cosnefory (23, AG2R La Mondiale)
Casper Pedersen (21, Aqua Blue Sport)
Honorable mentions
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