Friday's stage 7 time trial at the Tour de France marks the start of a pivotal weekend of racing.
But beyond the race for stage wins and the maillot jaune, another is unfolding behind the scenes as teams, riders, and their agents look to finalise deals and agree contracts for 2025 ahead of the opening of cycling's official 'transfer window' on August 1.
The sport's biggest agents are expected to arrive in central France for meetings with team managers and their riders. A swathe of big-name riders, including Julian Alaphilippe, Guillaume Martin, Ben O'Connor, Valentin Paret-Peintre, Kaden Groves, Bob Jungels, and Jan Hirt, are all on the market and either negotiating new contracts or looking to switch squads for next season.
The major investment of Chinese carbon fibre manufacturer XDS Carbon-Tech in the Astana Qazaqstan team will shape the market, as will Red Bull's arrival in the sport.
Ineos Grenadiers One have already completed their business for 2025, with their roster fully confirmed – even if their moves in the market cannot yet be made public.
The team has confirmed that Dutch GC rider Thymen Arensman has re-signed to the end of the 2027 season, having previously been linked with a move elsewhere. Elsewhere, 18-year-old Danish talent Peter Øxenberg Hansen is the first confirmed incoming transfer for 2025.
“We've secured our 2025 rider roster already," Ineos performance director Scott Drawer told Cyclingnews at the Tour de France. "Jonathan Castroviejo has re-signed and Connor Swift too.
"'m already looking at 2026, I think our rider roster structure is really important to help us perform. We’re investing in our talent programme and then pushing that on.
Drawer insisted that Ineos will support Tom Pidcock in his "long-term aspiration of fighting for GC", saying the multi-disciplinary star has a "key role" but Drawer acknowledged that the team will change "quite significantly" going forward.
"Tom Pidcock is contracted with us until the end of 2027. He's a generational talent. He's better this year than he was last year, so he's continuing to develop."
"Our owners are hell-bent on developing our own talent. We're not going to buy the top guys in, let's develop our own. That's more exciting for coaches. That's more exciting for riders."
One move Ineos could be making is for Monegasque rider Victor Langellotti. He's due to make the jump up from ProTeam Burgos-BH, according to L'Equipe.
Promising British youngster Samuel Watson will also join the team from Groupama-FDJ, reports Daniel Benson.
Meanwhile, Giro d'Italia opening stage winner Jhonatan Narváez has been strongly linked with a move away from the team to UAE Team Emirates for 2025.
The new-look, big-budget Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team will be a major player in the transfer market, while Alexandre Vinokourov intends to sign several big-name riders to score points for his team's WorldTour survival battle in 2025. Australian sprinter Kaden Groves is poised to be the new-look team's first signing as he makes the switch from Alpecin-Deceuninck.
There could be sweeping changes over at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, with the German team set to be aggressive in strengthening on all fronts for 2025.
Classics revelations Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ) and Oier Lazkano (Movistar) have been heavily rumoured with moves to the team to bolster a team which hasn't been a force on the cobbles since the days of Peter Sagan.
Numerous Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider contracts are expiring at the end of 2024, including those of Sergio Higuita, Max Schachmann, Bob Jungels, Emanuel Buchmann, and Lennard Kämna.
Former Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner Bob Jungels has been linked with a possible move to Ineos, while Lennard Kämna, a member of the Grand Tour triple stage winners club, could be on the move to Lidl-Trek.
Søren Kragh Andersen will be joining him, moving on from Alpecin-Deceuninck after two years, the switch first reported by Het Laatste Nieuws and confirmed by La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Giulio Pellizzari, one of the numerous talents nurtured by VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè over the years, has been linked with a switch to Red Bull colours since his breakthrough Giro d'Italia performance in May, while Visma-Lease A Bike trio Jan Tratnik, Tim van Dijke, and Mick van Dijke could also join the team, according to Daniel Benson, with Victor Campenaert also expected to play a key domestique role.
Various French riders and teams are currently active in the market at their home race, with several major deals on the horizon.
The great young GC hope of French cycling, Lenny Martinez, is all but confirmed to move on from Groupama-FDJ and to Bahrain Victorious. He's currently racing his debut Tour having earlier been pencilled in to make his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a España later this year.
Guillaume Martin could replace Martin at Groupama-FDJ after a long spell at Cofidis.
Groupama-FDJ are wasting no time in attempting to fill the gap left by the highly promising 20-year-old, with Cofidis climber Guillaume Martin – twice a top-10 finisher at the Tour –likely to join, according to a report by French-Belgian newspaper Le Soir. The 31-year-old reportedly turned down offers from Arkéa-B&B Hotels, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, and Intermarché-Wanty to make the move.
Le Soir report that Cofidis are hoping to sign Belgian puncheur Dylan Teuns from Israel-Premier Tech, while the Israeli team could bring Alexey Lutsenko on board after the Astana Qazaqstan figurehead signalled to team management that he intends to move on after more than a decade on the squad.
Over at Soudal-QuickStep, Julian Alaphilippe looks to have eschewed a move away, having been linked to several French teams. The former double world champion has made a proposal to team management to sign an extension, L'Equipe has reported.
The Belgian team do look to be waving goodbye to climbers Jan Hirt (Israel-Premier Tech) and Fausto Masnada (Q36.5), according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, however, while Classics man Kasper Asgreen will also be moving elsewhere.
Alaphilippe's countryman and Giro d'Italia stage winner Valentin Paret-Peintre is set to join him at the Belgian squad, moving from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale on a two-year deal to race in support of Remco Evenepoel's GC hopes.
L'Equipe's report also suggests that Ben O'Connor will be switching from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale. He's been heavily linked with a move 'home' to Jayco-AlUla with the Australian squad likely to see longtime GC leader Simon Yates move on to Visma-Lease A Bike.
Cofidis rider Axel Zingle could be another on the way to the Dutch squad, while former World Hour Record holder Victor Campenaerts will also be rejoining the team he left in 2017.
