This piece originally appeared in Cycling Weekly 534, published last Thursday, subscribe here.
Despite racing 80 days during the 2025 season – only 29 riders in the entire world raced more than him – and completing both the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España, British rider James Shaw is without a confirmed team for 2026 season.
In his time with EF he has established himself as a reliable helper and someone capable of riding for his own results; he’s finished on the GC podium of two smaller races, and was fifth in a Pyrenean mountain stage of the 2023 Tour de France.
But Shaw, 29, finds himself in the unwanted position of not knowing what the future holds for him. EF haven’t told him that they definitely don’t want him for the 2026 season, but nor have they offered him a contract.
And time is running out, with most WorldTour teams now complete or having earmarked their final available slots for riders who might become available in the event of the likely merger between Lotto and Intermarché-Wanty.
“As of yet I’ve not received an official answer from EF so I am waiting to see what happens,” Shaw told Cycling Weekly. “A lot of people assumed I was staying and my agent and I remain hopeful. But a lot of teams filled up so potentially it was a mistake on my behalf.”
“I don’t think my situation is due to a lack of results or performances. I feel like my results show that I perform well in those top races,” he said.
“I also think that the sport is going in the direction of quantity or quality: you see guys racing less and less but at a higher level and the toll of racing is getting more and more. For me to have the performances I have had and still had the quantity of race days was impressive I think.
“Unlike the top guys, I don’t have time to do an altitude camp or dieting, nor have the time to control the fatigue load. So I’m really content with what I’ve done and achieved this year. I’ve stood on the podium in a few races and had a good crack from the breakaway in a few stages of the Vuelta.”
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Turning 30 next June, Shaw acknowledged that “I’m at an age now where I think if I go down to a ProTeam, I’m not sure anyone is ever bringing me back up to the WorldTour in my 30s.”
But he refuted some reports that he would retire if a suitable offer didn’t arrive. “I never said that and I am not contemplating nor considering retirement,” he insisted.
Instead, though not his first option, he is open and enthusiastic about the possibility of riding for a lower-ranked team. “I’d prefer to stay at EF as I’ve built a good relationship with the riders and the staff, but if I have to go somewhere else, maybe a change would be nice,” he said.
“Maybe riding for a ProTeam, being a slightly bigger fish in a smaller pond, and being given a free role to ride for myself every race would be good for me.
“You look at Tom Pidcock and he took a chance leaving Ineos [to join Q3.65] but it was probably the best thing that has ever happened to him. It might be nice to be in a team like that as it’s not always a step down.
“I have offers to go and race for lower-level ranked teams, and also reasonably nice offers to go and race in different parts of the world. But I still think that I can race and compete at the highest level and in Grand Tours and that I am deserving of that place.”
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