With the road season now done and dusted for most in the the professional peloton, there's time to look back on the year and its storylines.
Heading into 2017, one of those major storylines involved the many big names switching to new teams during transfer season. With two WorldTour teams folding and a few new additions to cycling's top division, quite a few stars found themselves in new kit in January.
Changes of scenery didn't work out for everyone, but Cyclingnews has put together a list of riders that managed to find success in new homes this year.
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Philippe Gilbert
Moved from: BMC Racing
Moved to: Quick-Step Floors
A number of one-day specialists changed teams at the start of the season, but Philippe Gilbert was head and shoulders above the rest in terms of finding far greener pastures. His five-year stint at BMC was not without its moments, but he seemed to slow down after his 2012 world title, and his team was never able to find success fielding him and the ultra-talented Greg Van Avermaet in the same races.
Gilbert, who turned 35 this year, completely turned things around at Quick-Step. Focusing on the cobbled Classics after years of giving way to Van Avermaet, Gilbert turned heads with a runner-up ride at Dwars door Vlaanderen and then confirmed his strong form with a second-place finish at E3 Harelbeke. An overall win at the Three Days of De Panne further built upon the hype, but it was still a shock to see the veteran powering away 55 kilometres from the finish at the Tour of Flanders. On Belgium's biggest cycling stage and against the impossible weight of expectation annually heaped on Quick-Step, Gilbert finally gave the squad – and Belgium – their first Flanders title since 2012. For good measure, he proved his cobbled prowess hadn't dulled his talents as a puncheur and claimed his fourth career Amstel Gold Race victory two weeks later. Gilbert is not getting any younger, but he proved more than anyone this year that a little change of scenery can go a long way to resurrecting a career.
Vincenzo Nibali
Peter Sagan
Michael Matthews
Wilco Kelderman
Oliver Naesen
Stefan Denifl and Larry Warbasse
David Gaudu
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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