2025 Global Riders to Watch
Riders from Eritrea, Chile, Afghanistan and elsewhere are set to light it up on the big stage in 2025
The 2025 season looks set to be a firecracker.
How will the spread of power across the women’s WorldTour after the most action-packed transfer window in memory play out? Will anyone be able to challenge Tadej Pogačar at any point? So many great battles are set to be played out.
Playing their part will be riders from nations which are less represented in the sport. 2024 saw a step forward in riders from small nations winning at the highest level, from Biniam Girmay’s green jersey, to Kim Le Court’s Giro d’Italia stage win.
Here are Global Peloton’s 2025 Global Riders to Watch…
Natnael Tesfatsion
Making the move from Lidl-Trek to Movistar over the winter may be exactly what Natnael Tesfatsion needs to kick-start his career. His two years at the American squad didn’t go as he might have liked them to. Too many times he was short of opportunity to impress or hampered by crashes.
At the Spanish team, he should have chances to lead throughout the season. Movistar are going through something of a refresh, having lost several over their pivotal riders over this transfer window, including Oier Lazkano and Alex Aranburu. Tesfatsion is well positioned to take on the responsibility for the Ardennes classics and other similar races with his punchy climbing and fast finish, although injuries and schedule-clashes have never allowed him to compete in that series of races to which he is suited.
His best results in 2024 included 2nd at the Cadel Evans Road Race, 8th at the Tour de Wallonie, where he looked at times like the strongest rider in the race, and claiming the Eritrean national championships for the first time.
The 25-year-old exists very much in the shadow of his countryman and friend Biniam Girmay, but Tesfatsion is immensely talented. He needs to avoid crashes - he was mixed up in that Itzulia Basque Country fall in 2024 - and remain aggressive and then the results are sure to come.
Read more: How Team Amani plan to develop African road cycling
Fariba Hashimi
2024 was the breakthrough year of breakthrough years for 21-year-old Fariba Hashimi. What an incredible rise she has experienced. In 2025, she becomes the first Afghan rider in the WorldTour after signing a deal with Ceratizit-WNT.
That move will give her a golden opportunity to take part in the biggest races on the planet, in a team that will give her lots of opportunities to race for herself.
And she certainly deserves that chance. After fleeing the Taliban and making her way to Europe with her sister, Yulduz, in 2021, Hashimi has been training and racing with the UCI World Cycling Centre in Aigle. She fully announced herself to the world this year at the Olympic Games Road Race, attacking with 125km to go and eventually finishing in 75th place. After that, she won her first UCI race in Europe, soloing to victory on the queen stage of the 2.1 level Tour Feminin l'Ardeche, defeating a raft of WorldTour rivals on the slopes of Mont Lozère. She also finished 8th at the Tour de l’Avenir Femmes and 10th at the Giro Mediterraneo in Rosa.
A gifted climber, but lacking the race experience of many of her peers, Hashimi’s race programme will need to be carefully crafted to get the most out of her. Climbing events where she can compete the for the win should be sprinkled with other races to stretch her bike-handling skills.
If Ceratizit-WNT get this right, they could have a super-talent on their hands.
Vicente Rojas
The young Chilean rode the majority of his first season with VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè on the under-23 circuit with some strong showings. Fourth at Eschborn-Frankfurt U23 was followed up by 8th at the Alpes Isére Tour (2nd on stage four), fourth on a stage of the Giro Next Gen and fourth overall at Valle d'Aosta (U23).
Now too old for that category, it’s time for Rojas to either sink or swim with the big boys. He’s a diminutive climber, well suited to the mountain passes of Italy where the VF Group team often compete and thrive. At VF, a good early season run could mean a ride at the Giro d’Italia.
With the Italian squad once again losing their biggest rider over the off season - this time Giulio Pellizzari moving to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe - a leadership void is there to be filled. If Rojas can build on his performances in 2024, he could be a key part of the team this year.
Diane Ingabire
With the Kigali Worlds creeping into full-view, it’s a huge year for one of only two Rwandan riders who races for a UCI team in Europe (the other being Valantine Nzayisenga of the UCI WCC team).
Ingabire has had a steady, but as yet unspectacular, first two years racing in Europe for Canyon-SRAM-zondacrypto Generation. Individual results have been hard to come by for the 23-year-old, but she has been praised by her team for some strong teamwork, especially at the Tour Feminin l'Ardeche in September. She followed that up with 3rd in the African Continental Championships road race and 5th in the time-trial.
After a settling in period, her DS Adam Szabo has been impressed. He told Global Peloton: “It takes her a little bit longer, but I think now she understands cycling after two years. It goes hand in hand with her knowledge of English, because often the riders, especially her and the Rwandans, don't really speak English when they're coming to Europe.”
Now having acclimatised to the European peloton, and with the incredible motivation of a home World Championships this year, Ingabire could possibly be on the rise to become an established face in the peloton.
Thomas Silva
Silva was on this same list last year, but he’s here again because he could emerge as one of the real breakthrough stars of 2025.
Second at the GP Industria & Artigianato behind Marc Hirschi was a good signal of Silva’s talent. The Uruguayan just signed a new contract with Caja Rural-Seguros-RGA which will keep him at the Spanish ProTeam until the end of 2027. This move could prove to be a major coup for the squad which is renowned for developing world class talent.
Silva is a very fast sprinter who is good on the climbs. He’s similar to Caja Rural’s outgoing Venezuelan Orluis Aular who has signed for Movistar, but possibly better on the hills. Aular’s departure leaves the door open for Silva to take the undisputed leadership position in the team, and his new contract suggests that’s what they are thinking. Interestingly, never staying still, the team have brought in another similar sprinter, Venezuelan Francisco Peñuela, who could be their next punchy star.
Watch out for Silva this year in the week-long Spanish WorldTour races on the intermediate stages. He might just surprise the big boys on a good day.
Romina Hinojosa
This 22-year-old Mexican is flying way under the radar, but has everything required to be a break-out rider in 2025.
Hinojosa has signed a two-year deal with Lotto and looks like a big climbing prospect after a stellar 2024, her first full season in Europe. The first part of the season went well with a 2nd on the queen stage of the Giro Mediterraneo in Rosa and two top-ten placings shortly after that at the Tour de Feminiń in Czechia.
However, it was the end of the season when she showed her talent in bucketloads. 12th at the Tour de l’Avenir Femmes was an underrated result after finishing sixth in both stages two and three, beating some big riders in the process. A week later she took on the Giro Toscana Int. Femminile and finished an impressive 7th, again impressing on the toughest days.
With Lotto losing Thalita de Jong over the winter, Hinojosa could have a lot of chances to show herself in 2025. She could be a real surprise package of the season.
Who do you think will be one to watch in 2025?
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