Cycling’s talent factories: Which development teams produce the most future stars?

In the current era, which features riders appearing in the WorldTour at an increasingly young age, it can be easy to forget the importance of sustainable development. 

Jumping straight from the juniors to the professional ranks isn't for most, and so development and feeder teams will continue to serve a valuable place in the sport, even if riders rarely wait until the end of their time at under-23 level before turning professional nowadays.

Indeed, it seems ever more pressing for squads to produce their own riders. Take Paul Sexias’s current rise with Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, for example. A rider with the potential of the 19-year-old Frenchman would cost a lot of money to buy, so he is a significant asset for Decathlon to have had in their system since he was a junior. And for teams that don't have the top-end budgets, a development team is an even more essential tool. 

Additionally, it’s easier to engrain the culture of the team in riders who have been brought through the development ranks, an important aspect of giving a team an identity. Finally, like with any sport, if there is a clear and accessible pathway for young riders to develop, it can help inspire more to pursue or continue to chase their dream of becoming a professional. 

Here's a look at some of the most successful development teams over the past five years, and an overview of the number of riders who stepped up to the professional ranks.

Since the Lotto Development Team was formed back in 2007, 69 riders have made the step up to the professional ranks from the squad, the most of any team. The early days saw the emergence of riders such as Tim Wellens, Louis Meintjes and Tosh Van der Sande. Further names followed in the proceeding years, such as Laurens De Plus, Ilan Van Wilder and Florian Vermeersch, all of whom have gone on to establish themselves with different teams.

Since 2021, the development squad has continued to be a pipeline success for Lotto with star riders such as Arnaud De Lie, Maxim Van Gils and Lennert Van Eetvelt making the step up. In total, 28 riders, including four provisionally for 2026, have risen to the senior ranks from the development team, with 18 of these moving directly to the senior Lotto team, confirming that the structure is still effective. 

To illustrate how valuable the development of this trio has been to the professional team, De Lie, Van Gils, and Van Eetvelt were Lotto’s highest UCI points scorers in 2024. 

Van Gils would leave the team for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, and Van Eevelt suffered an injury-ridden 2025, but De Lie was once more this year the team’s top UCI points scorer, with four times more points than the second-highest Lotto rider. 10 of Lotto’s 12 professional victories in 2025 came from riders who were promoted from or currently still serve in the development team, namely Arnaud De Lie, Steffen De Schuyteneer and Mauro Cuyllits.

The most impactful off-season was in 2021, when eight riders stepped up from the development team to the WorldTour/ProTeam level, with five of these riders signing full-time with the senior Lotto squad. Those five riders were: Sébastien Grignard, Harry Sweeny, Maxim Van Gils, Viktor Verschaeve, and Xandres Vervloesem. Grignard raced for Lotto in 2025 and is one of those waiting to find out his future with the pending merger. Van Gils and Sweeny operate at the WorldTour level with different teams, while Verschaeve and Vervloesem have since retired.

There is a bit of uncertainty when it comes to the official number of professionals delivered by Lotto over the past five years due to the ongoing merger between Lotto and Intermarché-Wanty, which means the roster for the team in 2026 is yet to be officially announced. 

The UCI's recent publication of WorldTour licence applicants showed Lotto on the list while Intermarché was absent, effectively confirming Lotto will absorb Intermarché, but the merged team's roster is yet to be officially announced for 2026.

Jarno Widar committed his future to the team through 2027, having signed a three-year contract extension in 2024, and is set to make the step up to the WorldTour for 2026. Matys Grisel signed a professional contract back in June and should make the step-up too. 

There isn’t yet any confirmation about Mathieu Kockelmann and Milan Donie, who both were anticipated to make the step-up. The former won a stage at the Tour de l’Avenir this summer and would be expected to make the team roster. Meanwhile, Het Nieuwsblad reported in October that Donie will now remain with the development team for one more year. 

Despite these uncertainties revolving around the merger, Lotto’s Development Team remains at the top of the tree for riders turning professional over the past two decades, consistently delivering professional riders at an impressive rate, though there are teams that are evolving quickly in this department.

An increasing number of top division teams have formed their own development squads in recent years. For 2026, Movistar have already announced the roster for their first development team, and it has been reported throughout the year that Ineos Grenadiers plan to have their own development squad too.

At the end of 2024, it was announced that Hagens Berman Jayco, formerly Hagens Berman Axeon, would become the development team for Australian WorldTour outfit, Jayco AlUla.

The development team, led by Axel Merckx, son of Eddy, was formed in 2009, initially serving as a feeder path for Team RadioShack. Over time, Hagens Berman Axeon became one of the most recognisable development teams for producing talent, including riders such as Taylor Phinney, Alex Dowsett and Jasper Stuyven. Since their formation, only the Lotto Development team have delivered more professional riders, and in the last five years, another 20 riders have made the step-up from Hagens Berman Jayco. 

2020 Giro d’Italia winner Tao Geoghegan Hart developed at the team before joining Team Sky, as well as Neilson Powless, Jhonatan Narváez, and Eddie Dunbar. Recent riders who turned professional following spells with the team include Jan Christen, Iván Romeo, and António Morgado. 

The team briefly held a ProTeam status in 2018 and 2019, where they had the likes of Jasper Philipsen and João Almeida on their books. While technically already in the professional ranks, the team facilitated both of these star riders' progression to the WorldTour.

The merger looks to be paying off already for Jayco AlUla, with Hamish McKenzie and Will Holmes making the step up with the Australian team for 2026. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Vinnie Manion is set to join in 2028, after two more seasons with the development team.

Two WorldTour teams who have garnered plenty of return from their development squads in the last five years are Visma | Lease a Bike and Groupama-FDJ.

The Visma | Lease a Bike Development team was founded in mid-2019 and began competing in 2020. With one of the most successful senior squads, it’s unsurprising that the Dutch outfit’s development team has also been a fruitful endeavour. Since 2021, 21 riders have turned professional, with 14 of these riders signing with Visma | Lease a Bike.

From this crop of riders, Olav Kooij has established himself as the most decorated, with the Dutch sprinter already securing 47 professional victories since making the step-up in 2021. Among those victories are three stages each at the Giro d’Italia and Paris-Nice, as well as seven at the Lloyds Tour of Britain. 

Kooij will embark on a new project with the Decathlon CMA CGM team for 2026, where he anticipates a debut Tour de France participation, something that has proven to be difficult at Visma with the GC ambitions of Jonas Vingegaard. 

One man who could well be on his way to matching Kooij’s numbers in the coming years is British star Matthew Brennan, who enjoyed a sensational debut professional season. With 14 victories in 2025, Brennan trails only Tadej Pogačar, Paul Magnier, Isaac del Toro and Tim Merlier for the number of wins this year. The 20-year-old’s current contract runs through 2027, and with the way he is progressing, Visma will surely be looking to secure his long-term future.

A talented core of Norwegian riders have been promoted to the WorldTour, including Johannes Staune-Mittet and Per Strand Hagenes in 2024, and Jørgen Nordhagen in 2025, all of whom have high ceilings, though Staune-Mittet now plies his trade at Decathlon CMA CGM.

In a sense, it could be argued that having one of the most successful WorldTour teams makes it more difficult for younger talent to break through with fewer opportunities, with riders such as Finn Fisher-Black and Archie Ryan among those who opted to pursue their professional careers away from Visma. Out of those 21 riders who have turned pro since 2021, ten are from outside the Netherlands.

The Dutch team have two riders who will make the step up for 2026, with Belgian rider Tim Rex and Italian rider Pietro Mattio. If they can make even a fraction of the impact that Brennan did in 2025, it’s fair to say it would be a success.

With this current trajectory of developing riders, Visma | Lease a Bike will likely continue to rise up this list, and with UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s significantly larger reported budget, this will be an important tool for the Dutch team to continue to compete at the very top.

The Groupama-FDJ development team has also proven to be a success since its inception in 2019. Over the last five years, the French team’s development pathway has delivered 25 professionals. 

Like Lotto, the team’s current star rider was signed from the development team. Romain Grégoire has already established himself as one of the most talented riders in the peloton, with twelve professional victories to his name, including the Lloyds Tour of Britain this year.

Lewis Askey, Thibaud Gruel, and Paul Penhoët, all of whom were in Groupama-FDJ’s top six UCI points scorers in 2025, were also promoted from the development team. 

Other talented riders who signed from the development team but have since moved on include Marijn van den Berg, Sam Watson, and Lenny Martinez. In the years to come, there’s plenty to be excited about, with Brieuc Rolland enjoying a strong debut season, and the talented Maxime Decomble, who almost won the Tour de l’Avenir, making the step-up for 2026.

Groupama-FDJ manager Marc Madiot recently expressed his concern with the growing trend of French riders joining foreign teams, suggesting this shift highlights deeper issues within French cycling, which illustrates the importance of successful development pathways.

There are plenty of other WorldTour teams that have reaped the benefits of their development teams in recent years.

Oscar Onley raced for Picnic PostNL's development squad before going full-time professional in 2023. The 23-year-old British rider has established himself as a star of the sport after finishing fourth in this year's Tour de France. Pavel Bittner and Casper van Uden also came through the ranks and have since each won a Grand Tour stage for the team.

Alpecin-Deceuninck, Bahrain-Victorious and Soudal Quick-Step also stand out as teams who have produced a significant number of riders to the WorldTour ranks. Lidl-Trek entered the fray in 2024 with Lidl-Trek Future Racing, and they have high hopes of uncovering gems from among their international roster.

It’s not just the WorldTour teams' development squads who have a proven track record. For example, MBH Bank Ballan CSB - formerly Colpack - of Italy have produced the likes of Filippo Ganna, Giulio Ciccone, and Juan Ayuso. Meanwhile, Equipo Finisher-Kern Pharma, the development squad for the Spanish ProTeam, Equipo Kern Pharma, produced the likes of Pablo Castrillo and Urko Berrade, which resulted in three stage wins at the 2024 Vuelta a España, though Berrade signed professionally elsewhere before returning in 2024.

Sometimes gems are found elsewhere, in the more unexpected places. For example, Tadej Pogačar signed professionally with UAE Team Emirates from the less prolific Ljubljana Gusto Xaurum, a team from Slovenia. Meanwhile, Remco Evenepoel jumped straight for the junior ranks at Acrog - Balen BC Junior to sign for Deceuninck - Quick Step in 2019.

But while Evenepoel's leap prompted plenty of imitators in the years since, his direct pathway to the WorldTour still remains the exception to the rule. The development team serves a clear purpose in 2020s cycling.