Watch out for these five youngsters joining the WorldTour in 2020

We have seen plenty of big name riders announcing their moves after the cycling transfer window opened earlier this month.

From August 1, teams and riders are permitted by the UCI to reveal any changes and signings for the coming season, sparking a flurry of activity.

Cycling superstars are on the move at the end of this season, with Tom Dumoulin heading to Jumbo-Visma, Vincenzo Nibali signing with Trek-Segafredo and Dan Martin taking a step down to join a Professional Continental outfit.

While the familiar hitters command most attention in the transfer period, there are plenty of young emerging talents who will be making their WorldTour debuts next season.

Here are five young risers to keep an eye on for 2020:

Kaden Groves – Mitchelton-Scott

Australian Kaden Groves has consistently developed his talents since 2016 when he became junior national champion, following up with a victory in the Tour of Fuzhou in 2017.

But the sprinter progressed to a new level this season, winning stages in the Triptyque des Monts et Châteaux, Circuit des Ardennes International and the Ronde de l’Isard.

His performances for SEG Racing Academy this season have attracted the attention of Australian squad Mitchelton-Scott, who have welcome the 20-year-old on board as a trainee for the remainder of the season before he starts his neo-pro contract next year.

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Mitchelton-Scott head sports director Matt White highlighted Groves’s versatility, his ability to win on the flat, in uphill sprints and in skill in a prologue.

Groves says he hopes to progress as a sprinter who can lead out and get over a climb so he will be an exciting talent to watch, despite joining a team that has recently shed its sprinters to focus on general classification ambitions.

Brandon McNulty – UAE Team Emirates

Promising young American Brandon McNulty will also be making the step up to the WorldTour for 2020 at 21 years old.

McNulty has been tipped as a future general classification star and has already proved himself in some notable race, now making the move to UAE Team Emirates on a three-year deal from Rally UHC.

The rider from Phoenix, Arizona, might be best remembered for the heart-breaking end to a solo attack at the 2018 Dubai Tour.

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Then 19, McNulty had made it into the breakaway on stage four and rode away solo on the penultimate climb only to face the wall of the Hatta Dam climb to the line, which hits 17 per cent gradient.

McNulty cramped on the climb and was caught by the peloton in the final 20 metres, denying him what would have been the biggest victory of his career.

But he has been building a strong palmarès for such a young rider, winning the Giro di Sicilia this year and taking seventh overall at the 2018 Tour of California.

Gabriel Cullaigh – Movistar

Wiggins-Le Col rider Gabriel Cullaigh is a British talent making his step up next season, as he joins Movistar.

The 23-year-old is a strong rouleur with sprinting ability, with wins in the Volta ao Alentejo and home race the Rutland-Melton Cicle Classic.

He has also raced against the best in the Tour de Yorkshire and the Tour of Britain, with top-10 finishes in both races.

Mikkel Bjerg – UAE Team Emirates

Under-23 time trial world champion Mikkel Bjerg has also been given his opportunity in cycling’s top tier, as he joins McNulty at UAE Team Emirates.

Bjerg has been developing with Hagens Berman Axeon in the last two years, where he has gone up against WorldTour pros in the Tour de Yorkshire and the Tour of California.

The 20-year-old has also been chasing the Hour Record, with an unsuccessful attempt in 2015 and another near-miss last October that put him second behind then-record holder Sir Bradley Wiggins.

Mark Donovan – Sunweb

British climber Mark Donovan will also be making the move upward to join his Wiggins-Le Col team-mate Cullaigh in the WorldTour.

Donovan, 20, will be racing with Sunweb next season having impressed team bosses with his aggressive racing style and his climbing abilities.

The Cumbrian took three victories in 2017 as a junior and continued his promising progression as an under-23 last year, leading the Baby Giro before finishing fourth overall.