Is this the next generation of cycling stars? All eyes on Del Grosso and Visma super talents in 2025: "He drives everyone home"

The future of cycling belongs to the youth, but in today's peloton, young riders are increasingly dominating the present as well. More and more, 20-year-olds — or even younger — are making their mark. So who can we expect to be part of this next generation of cycling stars? Johan Bruyneel, former team director of US Postal and RadioShack, still closely follows the sport’s up-and-coming talents. In his podcast The Move, he highlighted the biggest prospects.

"There are eight riders I believe will have an outstanding season," Bruyneel began. "Let's start with an Englishman — Joseph Blackmore of Israel-Premier Tech. He made a huge impression last season and won the Tour de l'Avenir in spectacular fashion. He’s incredibly strong and knows how to race and win. I have high expectations for Blackmore."

Next on Bruyneel’s list was Spanish talent Pablo Torres, who recently made his debut for UAE Team Emirates - XRG. "He’s only 19 years old, but he’s already riding at an incredibly high level. He finished second in the U23 Giro and was extremely strong in the Tour de l'Avenir. He’s small, but he has tremendous power. He was also very impressive in the Tour Down Under, even though his results didn’t necessarily stand out."

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Joe Blackmore

Belgian, Dutch and French talents to watch

One rider who has particularly impressed Bruyneel is Dutch talent Tibor Del Grosso, alongside Belgian prospect Jarno Widar. "Del Grosso mainly focuses on cyclo-cross, but he is an incredible talent — he can kick some serious butt in the field. But he’s also got a lot of potential on the road. I also expect a lot from Jarno Widar. He was already very strong last year and could have turned pro, but he decided to stay in the U23 category because he wants to become world champion first."

Bruyneel also has high expectations for Paul Seixas. "He won the junior world championship in an impressive manner and will now make his debut among the pros. He’s one of the biggest French talents in years and will definitely make an impact this season. While young riders often struggle in race finales, Paul excels in that area," Bruyneel said about the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale rider.

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Matthew Brennan

Scandinavian riders and Visma's next superstars

Bruyneel, himself a former Tour de France stage winner, also expects great things from Jorgen Nordhagen, Visma | Lease a Bike’s promising Norwegian talent. "Nordhagen, who is 20 years old, has already shown glimpses of his talent, though injuries held him back last season. I watched him train with Wout van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard, and even then, he looked incredibly strong. I’ve also heard from inside Visma that they have sky-high expectations for him."

Visma | Lease a Bike also has another major prospect in Matthew Brennan. "Most young talents are climbers, but Brennan is a well-rounded rider with a strong sprint. He already made a name for himself in the Tour Down Under. Last year, he showed great form and delivered solid results, and I expect him to be competing for victories on a regular basis this season."

"But the biggest talent of them all might be Albert Withen Philipsen," Bruyneel continued. "He’s a multiple-time world champion in different disciplines and was hugely impressive in the Tour Down Under, where he won the young rider classification. His numbers are absurd, and the way he races is incredibly striking. I expect to see him at the front of races many times this year."

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