In January ten neo-pros were picked to watch. When predictions are made it’s helpful to return and see how things turned out so here’s a look at how their first season went.
Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché) was top of the list in January. As an U23 he won the Giro della Valle d’Aosta, the Ronde de l’Isard the Giro Next Gen and the Alpes-Isère Tour, plus he was runner-up in the 2025 Tour de l’Avenir to Paul Seixas who’d dropped down from the pro ranks to bag the win. So almost the full sweep of every mountainous stage race going on the U23 calendar and done at the age of 18 and 19. Move over Remco? Not quite, and there was a tension between expectations for a rider who’d been so dominant in the amateur ranks and what kind of rider they’d become as a pro. Widar’s light build means he has plenty of punch and his stage race wins came in events without time trials; or just an 8km opener at the Giro. So mapping his results to the grand tours is another thing and he’s still adamant he’s a puncheur more than a grand tour contender despite obvious media interest. But what punch he’s got and fortunately we got to see some of it. Illness, then a knee injury meant the first half of the season was written off. He then rode the Vuelta and when Pogačar took his solo win in Andorra, Widar was second, leading in the likes of Gall, Onley and Roglič. Impressive but he did not sustain a GC bid and popped up for two more top-10s. The grand tour didn’t seem to tire him, he won the Tre Valli Varesine where he outfoxed Tom Pidcock in the sprint. Then he did the same again in Guangxi to win the race overall. Still 20 he’s already central to the Lotto team where his apparently stubborn personality needs to be managed carefully.
Could Jakob Söderqvist (Lidl-Trek) get opportunities? He went into the pro ranks on a team stacked with classics talent but the answer was yes as rode plenty of races in the spring, possibly helped by injuries of others. He won the Tour of Hongrie, helped by bad weather prompting officials to stop a stage early where the Swede was up the road but you make your own luck. He got a season where doors opened for him and he was able to show what he could do. He had more TT wins later on in the season and it’s easy to see him as a TT specialist-classics rider-sprint train engine for the Lidl-Trek team to the point of where you wonder if they really needed to buy Filippo Ganna.
Senna Remijn (Alpecin-PremierTech) was tipped as a versatile finisseur, something we saw when he won the sprint of a select group in last year’s Tour of Luxembourg. We saw this again in the Deutschland Tour on the day when Pellizzari, Del Toro and Hirschi were up the road, he took the sprint for fourth from a big group. Otherwise there was plenty to learn, riding the Amstel Gold Race was apparently the first time he’d gone beyond 200km but he was active late in the race. So no wins, just the type of quiet results that bode well, and along with Debruyne and Verstringe the team has options for hilly days when often they had none.
Jakob Omrzel has struggled to escape the “next Pogačar” label because he’s a talented Slovenian who’s won the Giro Next Gen and Paris-Roubaix Juniors alike. Then he won a stage of the Vuelta this year and ended up seventh overall too, which only reinforces clumsy comparisons given Pogačar thrived in his first Vuelta too. He’s had an excellent season, top-10s in GC in the Tour of the Alps, the Tour de Hongrie and third overall in the Tour of Slovenia behind Pellizzari and Lipowitz. He’s delivered plenty already to the point where it’ll be interesting to see what he does next, presumably more World Tour stage races and he’s on a team where he’ll get leadership opportunities.
Maxime Decomble (Groupama-FDJ) was a ray of light for the French team. A small rider – shades of Charlie Chaplin? – he used to see himself as a climber but has started to flourish as a time triallist and he used this ability to place on the podium in the Etoile de Bessèges, to win the Tour du Poitou-Charentes overall and get a medal in the European TT championships. His team have moved to lock him down and are quietly confident about further improvement, next year will be about week-long World Tour stage races where he can combine
Noah Hobbs (EF-Easypost) took two wins, the Heistse Pijl and a stage of the Tour de l’Ain. He didn’t beat any sprint royalty here but in the Tour de Pologne he was running Paul Magnier and Jonathan Milan close. This has already made him a rider EF can back for results and points and it’ll be interesting to see their sprint configuration year, notably if Luke Lamperti becomes a lead-out again or is given his own chances. Note Hobbs’ younger brother Henry is riding for Visma and one to watch too. Mattia Agostinacchio (EF-Easypost) was hired straight out of the junior ranks and is a long-term project for the team. Illness ruined a lot of the season, it curtailed his cyclo-cross program and then he struggled again in the spring to the point where the team left him to take the summer off. So not much to write home about but don’t write him off.
UAE only took on one neo-pro and it was Adria Pericas. He looks like a climber but had also won the Spanish junior TT title. He had a solid season with several top-10s in stage races, including the Volta a Portugal where he won a stage too. He rode Catalunya and Itzulia and the challenge will be to start more World Tour races next year while also finding days when he can race for himself.
Emmanuel Houcou (Pinarello-Q36.5) was second in a stage of the Tour of Oman and that was as good as it got. Sam Bennett’s illness and injury, including heart surgery, did not open any doors. He’s been a lead-out for house sprinter Matteo Moschetti but not regularly so. The team has been on a shopping spree but not gone big on sprinters so seeing how Houcou and new-signing Tom Crabbe can work together.
Pavel Novak was a surprise signing for Movistar who even sprung him out of the MHB Telecom team with a release fee. Going by results or points they’ve not got their money’s worth yet but he’s been dependable, taking one for the team at times by starting Paris-Roubaix and being dispatched to cover other races.
Riders who should have featured
Having added some rider revelations to the main “riders to watch review” post, a similar look at riders who could or should have been on the list. Mentioned in passing in January Luke Tuckwell (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) had an outstanding debut, his name sounds like a descender but he was impressing for his climbing performances – with sixth in Romandie and second in the Aura Tour where he tool yellow after going in a maxi-breakaway but did well to defend things after – and also a mature manner in front of the media. Team mate Callum Thornley thrived too, as versatile as he was in the amateurs as he seems to be able to climb and be strong on the flat. NSN’s Pau Marti had a good season and a specialist for uphill sprints already. Matys Grisel was Lotto-Intermarché’s sixth best points scorer, a win in the Tour of Taiwan was good for a debut but he was also getting podiums in gritty one-day races in Europe.