Netcompany, Visma and Red Bull bet on cycling's next generation: 10 riders to watch in 2027

Cycling's next generation is arriving faster than ever. Some of the sport's biggest teams are no longer prepared to wait for young riders to work their way through the under-23 ranks. Instead, they are signing teenagers to long-term contracts and, in some cases, bringing them straight into the WorldTour.

The 2026 season offered plenty of reasons for that urgency. Benjamín Noval completed a rare junior world championship double in Montréal, Ashlin Barry claimed the United States' first under-23 men's road race world title, and Lorenzo Finn strengthened his credentials as a future Grand Tour contender.

But the riders making the step up in 2027 are not all teenagers. Several slightly older prospects have earned major transfers after breakthrough seasons, while others will be looking to turn their success in the development ranks into results at the highest level.

Here are ten names to watch in 2027.

Few riders will arrive in the WorldTour with more attention on them than Benjamín Noval.

The Spanish teenager won both the junior time trial and road race at the 2026 World Championships in Montréal, becoming the first rider to complete the double since Remco Evenepoel in 2018.

Netcompany had already secured his future long before those performances. The British team reached an agreement with Noval in 2025 and will bring him directly into their WorldTour squad in 2027, without a season in the under-23 category.

Now, before he has even made his professional debut, Noval is reportedly set for an improved contract that would keep him at Netcompany until the end of 2031.

According to Spanish broadcaster RTPA, the 18-year-old has agreed to a two-year extension of his original deal, which ran until 2029. MARCA reports that the new financial package could become the "biggest contract in history for a rider of his age", with significantly improved terms compared to his initial agreement, reportedly worth close to €1 million over three years.

It is an extraordinary commitment to a rider yet to compete at WorldTour level, and another indication of how highly Netcompany rate his potential.

For Noval, however, the immediate priority is adapting to professional racing rather than justifying the investment. "The goal for next year is to support the leaders as best I can, and, of course, to establish myself as a key rider," he said earlier this month.

How Netcompany manage those expectations could prove just as important as his results in 2027.

Lorenzo Finn is beginning to look like one of the most exciting stage racing prospects in the sport.

The Italian became the youngest men's under-23 road race world champion in history in Kigali in 2025, winning at just 18 years and 281 days old. He followed that breakthrough with an impressive 2026 campaign, claiming overall victories at both the Giro Next Gen and the Tour de l'Avenir.

His Tour de l'Avenir performance was particularly convincing. Finn took control in the mountains and secured overall victory with another stage win on the final summit finish at Lago Serrù.

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe now face an intriguing question: how quickly should they give him opportunities at the highest level?

Team boss Ralph Denk has already named Finn alongside Florian Lipowitz, Jai Hindley and Giulio Pellizzari as one of the team's potential Grand Tour leaders. With Remco Evenepoel unlikely to race both the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France, opportunities could open up sooner than expected.

Finn may not immediately lead a Grand Tour, but a prominent role in shorter stage races could offer the next step in his development.

Ashlin Barry's victory at the World Championships in Montréal was more than a breakthrough result.

The American celebrated his 19th birthday by winning the under-23 road race after spending much of the day on the attack. He eventually rode clear alone and finished 53 seconds ahead of Héctor Álvarez, becoming the first American to win the men's under-23 road world title.

There was a remarkable family connection, too.

Barry's mother, Dede Demet-Barry, won the Montréal World Cup in 2002, while his father, Michael Barry, ended his professional road racing career at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal in 2012.

Barry is contracted to Visma's development programme through 2029, although he has already made clear that he would prefer to step up sooner.

"I'd also like it if I could ride in the WorldTour already next year," Barry said.

That leaves Visma with a decision over how quickly to promote him. His ambitions on the track, including the build-up to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, will add another consideration.

For now, his world title has made him one of the most closely watched young riders in the team.

Héctor Álvarez turned disappointment at the World Championships into a remarkable European Championship double.

The 19-year-old Spaniard left Montréal with silver in the under-23 road race and bronze in the time trial. Less than two weeks later, he won both titles at the European Championships in Slovenia.

Those results reinforced his reputation as one of the most versatile riders of his generation.

Álvarez has already gained experience racing alongside Lidl-Trek's senior squad, including a second-place finish at the Trofeo Calvià and success in the young rider classification at the Baloise Belgium Tour.

His ambitions are particularly focused on the Classics, with Paris-Roubaix among the races he hopes to win in the future.

At Lidl-Trek, however, opportunities will have to be earned. Mads Pedersen and Jonathan Milan remain major figures in the team's Classics ambitions, while the arrival of Filippo Ganna adds another established name to the group.

For Álvarez, that competition could provide valuable time to develop without the immediate burden of leadership.

“We have a super clear idea of my development and we will not stress,” Álvarez said recently.

Aubin Sparfel is another young rider making the transition from cyclo-cross promise to the WorldTour.

The Frenchman took silver in the under-23 race at the 2026 Cyclo-cross World Championships in Hulst before building on his road racing results with Decathlon's development squad.

A fourth-place finish overall at the Giro Next Gen, where he also claimed stage seven, showed his growing stage racing potential. He followed that with a stage victory at the Tour de l'Avenir and, most impressively, won the Grand Prix de Wallonie against established WorldTour opposition.

He is set to join Decathlon's WorldTour roster in 2027, stepping into a team increasingly associated with another exceptional French prospect, Paul Seixas.

Sparfel's development could take a different direction, however. His ability to handle difficult terrain, combined with his cyclo-cross background, makes the hilly Classics an obvious area of interest.

Matisse Van Kerckhove is another product of Visma's increasingly influential development programme.

Born in Antwerp and raised near Tarragona in Spain, the Belgian came into road racing after gaining experience in mountain biking and cyclo-cross.

His 2026 season demonstrated how quickly he is progressing.

Van Kerckhove claimed seven victories for Visma's development team, including the overall classification at the Istrian Spring Tour and a stage of the Giro Next Gen, where he also wore the leader's jersey.

He added success at the Flèche du Sud and finished fourth in the under-23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

His time trial ability was underlined by a silver medal at the European under-23 championships, where he finished just three seconds behind Héctor Álvarez.

"I want to develop into a strong classics rider who can also play an important role in time trials," Van Kerckhove said.

As Matisse steps up to Visma's WorldTour squad in 2027, his younger brother Seff is following him to the Dutch team in a surprise move from Decathlon CMA CGM. The 18-year-old, winner of the 2026 Giro della Lunigiana, has signed with Visma's development squad through 2030.

With Wout van Aert already speaking highly of him, Van Kerckhove will have an experienced teammate to learn from as he takes the next step in his career.

At 23, Pierre Gautherat is one of the more experienced riders on this list. After four seasons with Decathlon CMA CGM, the Frenchman is moving to UAE Team Emirates-XRG in 2027 on a three-year deal.

He has steadily built a reputation as a powerful rider for the northern Classics, finishing on the podium at Tro-Bro Léon in both 2024 and 2025, winning a stage of the 4 Jours de Dunkerque in 2025 and claiming victory at Paris-Camembert in 2026.

UAE described Gautherat as a powerful rider suited to the northern Classics and demanding one-day races.

Gautherat joins a Classics group that already includes Florian Vermeersch, Nils Politt and his former Decathlon teammate Benoît Cosnefroy.

"I'm especially motivated by the Classics and I want to keep progressing towards the biggest races," Gautherat said in the team's announcement.

He is unlikely to arrive as an outright leader, but his speed and growing experience could make him an important part of UAE's plans on the cobbles.

For Gautherat, the move is an opportunity to test how much further he can progress at the highest level.

Riley Sheehan has taken a less direct route to the WorldTour's biggest opportunities.

The American made headlines in 2023 when he became the first rider from his country to win Paris-Tours, doing so while racing as a stagiaire.

Turning that breakthrough into consistent results proved difficult, but 2026 finally brought renewed momentum.

Sheehan won the Circuit de Wallonie, finished second overall at the Tour de Wallonie and claimed the opening stage of the Czech Tour, beating INEOS rider Ben Turner in a bunch sprint.

Now the two riders are heading in opposite directions. Turner is leaving INEOS, while Sheehan has signed a two-year contract with the British team.

With Filippo Ganna and Magnus Sheffield also departing, INEOS have space to rebuild their Classics group.

“He's fast, technically very skilled and has the ability to perform across a range of terrain,” Geraint Thomas said in the team's announcement. “We see him being a great addition to our Classics group.”

At 26, Sheehan is older than most of the names on this list, but his recent results suggest he is arriving at an important moment in his career.

The question for 2027 is whether he can turn that progress into consistent performances in the biggest races.

Brandon Fedrizzi might be the clearest example of how quickly teams are moving to secure young talent.

The 18-year-old Italian finished seventh in the junior road race at the World Championships in Montréal and fourth at the European Championships in Slovenia.

But it was his performances throughout the season, including victories in the junior E3 Saxo Classic and Trofeo Buffoni, that helped establish him as one of Italy's leading prospects.

Lotto-Intermarché initially planned for Fedrizzi to spend two seasons in their development team before moving into the WorldTour. That plan has now changed, with the Belgian squad bringing him directly into their professional roster for 2027.

“Our decision to make Brandon a professional rider straight away is first and foremost a sign of trust,” Lotto-Intermarché CEO Jean-François Bourlart said.

The decision comes amid significant changes at Lotto-Intermarché, with Arnaud De Lie, Lennert Van Eetvelt and promising development rider Niels Driesen all heading elsewhere.

Fedrizzi is unlikely to face immediate expectations of winning major races, but his promotion shows how highly Lotto rate his potential.

Niels Driesen has emerged as one of Belgium's most promising under-23 riders after an impressive 2026 season.

He won the Ronde de l'Isard overall and a stage of the Giro della Valle d'Aosta before making his mark at the Tour de l'Avenir.

Driesen won the opening stage and spent much of the race in the leader's jersey, eventually finishing second overall behind Lorenzo Finn. He then added fifth place in the under-23 road race at the World Championships and bronze at the European Championships.

The 21-year-old believes a change in his training approach helped unlock that progress. "Last winter I started training much more than in previous years and I could immediately feel that my level was better," Driesen said in Pinarello's announcement.

Those results attracted the attention of Pinarello-Q36.5, who signed him from Lotto's development team on a three-year deal through 2029.

"We don't want to put a label on him too early," team boss Doug Ryder said, underlining the team's intention to let him develop without immediately defining his role.

Driesen has shown he can compete in both demanding one-day races and mountainous stage races, although his preference remains the Classics. As a junior, he finished fourth at the Tour of Flanders and fifth at Paris-Roubaix.

At a ProTeam chasing a future WorldTour licence, he could get more opportunities to lead than many riders his age. Whether he develops into a Classics specialist or a stage racing contender will be one of the more interesting questions heading into 2027.