The new year begins and some great stars, for various reasons, do not have a team for this season. It should be remembered that the maximum number of members per squad in the World Tour is 30 riders, and there are quite a few teams that already have a full quota: nine of the 18 teams have all the chips complete. These are Alpecin, Bora, Education First, Ineos, Movistar, Arkea, DSM, Team Jayco and UAE. A priori, they will not be able to add runners in this 2023 unless they drop one. In this way, we review the most outstanding runners without a team currently.
Nairo Quintana
Just before starting La Vuelta in Utrecht, with Nairo present after having attended the day before the pertinent coronavirus test began, The UCI notified that the Colombian was disqualified from the Tour de France (he was sixth) for violating the prohibition on the use of tramadol in competition established in the UCI Medical Regulations with the aim of protecting the safety and health of cyclists, a substance prohibited by this organization. Since March 1, 2019, the UCI has banned the use of tramadol in competition in all disciplines and categories to protect the health and safety of cyclists from the side effects of this substance. Being a first offence, Nairo Quintan was not declared ineligible and can therefore participate in the competitions. However, his team, Arkea, decided that he would not be part of the game in La Vuelta and shortly after he notified that he would not continue in the team… despite renewing a few weeks before. Now, at 32 years old, no team has asked him for the moment. Since then, he has only run the World Cup in Australia (he was 66th).
Mark Cavendish
After not renewing with the Quick-Step, Everything pointed to Cavendish, 37,, would join the B&B Hotels structure, although the French team’s problems in finding sponsors made this operation unfeasible and the team did not succeed. However, it seems that the Briton will be able to continue running in 2023, and Astana is one of the great favorites to take over his services. The manager, Vinokourov, He has already announced his liking for Mark, but it is striking that once the year began they have not made any agreement official. For now, he remains on the list of riders without a team. His intention is to go to the Tour de France this summer and break the tie at 34 stage victories in the Tour de France that he maintains with Eddy Merckx and that keeps them as the biggest stage winners of the French round.
Miguel Angel ‘Superman’ Lopez
Last December, Astana announced the end of Superman’s second stint with the Kazakh team. “The Astana Qazaqstan Team discovered new elements that show the probable connection of Miguel Ángel López with Dr. Marcos Maynar. Consequently, the team had no other solution than to terminate the contract between team and rider, based on breaches of said contract and internal team rules, effective immediately,” the team said in a statement. In this way, Superman only appeared on networks to say that “this decision is absolutely unjustified” and that he would take “legal action” in defense of his rights. For now, no World Tour team has publicly shown his interest in signing him.
Domenico Pozzovivo
At 40 years old, Intermaché did not renew him and for now he continues without signing for any team. “Our budget is over, no matter how painful it is for Domenico Pozzovivo. Everyone wonders why he doesn’t have a contract yet, but for us there is a very logical explanation for the matter. We don’t have the money,” said Aike Visbeek.maximum sports manager of the Belgians, in Wielertflits. Even so, the team would still have a free spot in its squad.
Maximilian Richeze
The great squire and pitcher of Fernando Gaviria in recent seasons He finished his stage in the UAE and the Argentine, at 39, still hasn’t found a place to continue on the World Tour. At the moment, he has not notified his intention to retire, so the experienced runner hopes to have another opportunity in the elite.
Cees Bowl
The 27-year-old Dutchman left the DSM and his fate seemed to lie with the failed B&B Hotelswhich did not go ahead despite its last-minute attempts with the support of Paris. In this way, he is another of the great stars of the market, and in his case there are several teams that have shown interest in signing him, especially Astana. Both Bol and Cavendish would have a place to be able to add Vinokourov two tokens on your team, but you’re still up in the air.
charles barber
The man from Burgos is experiencing a situation similar to that at the beginning of 2022, in which after the disappearance of the Khubeka, in April the Lotto appeared to sign him and cover the casualties they had due to injury. However, the Belgian team did not renew him and at 31 he is back on the market, although he has already warned that this winter it will not happen again for the same as in the past, “a tough situation mentally and physically.”
More runners who are without equipment are the Italian Davide Villela (after leaving Cofidis), the Australian Lachlan Morton (Education First), the Colombian Sebastián Henao (Astana) and the Canadian James Piccoli (Israel), among others.
