With 2014 coming to a close, there are several riders without contracts for next season. Grand Tour overall and stage winners, an Olympic Champion and the 2010 Dauphiné victor remain searching for a team.
Here's nine riders up for still up for grabs next season:
Chris Horner
Despite having won the 2013 Vuelta a España, the American only managed to sign a one season last minute deal with Lampre-Merida for 2014. Horner, now 42 years old, finds himself without a team again after a season that involved a hit-and-run training crash and a last minute withdrawal from the 2014 Vuelta.
Samuel Sánchez
The 2008 Olympic Road Race Champion placed sixth overall in the Vuelta and fifth in Il Lombardia for BMC Racing, but has yet to ink a contract for 2015. The 36-year-old Spaniard, second in the 2010 Tour de France, is rumoured to be signing with Lampre.
Jack Bobridge
The 25-year-old helped Australia to several track medals, including silver in the 2012 Olympics team pursuit, but has bounced around unsuccessfully on the road. He raced with Garmin, GreenEDGE and Belkin in five years, and won once with a stage in the 2010 Eneco Tour. He hopes to remain in the WorldTour for 2015.
Alessandro Petacchi
Omega Pharma-Quick Step brought in the 2010 Tour's green jersey winner to lead out Mark Cavendish. The Belgian team now has Mark Renshaw and others for the job and left the 40 year-old Italian without a contact. He could sign with second division Italian team, Neri Sottoli.
Gert Steegmans
The Belgian could sign with Lotto NL (presently Belkin) or Trek after a difficult year in Omega Pharma. He was upset with the team for not supporting him at the national championship and leaving him off the Tour de France team.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Steve Morabito
After Cadel Evans announced he would retire in January, BMC Racing has no place for his former helper Steve Morabito. The Swiss is linked to French team FDJ for 2015.
Enrico Gasparotto
In Astana's turquoise, the 32-year-old Italian won the Amstel Gold Race and placed third in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. This year, he placed top 10 in both Canadian one-day races, Quebec and Montreal, but did not renew with Alexandre Vinokourov's team.
Francisco Ventoso
Spain's top team Movistar renewed its contracts and announced new riders, but had no space for sprinter 'Fran' Ventoso. The 32-year-old Spaniard counts two stage wins in the Giro d'Italia and one in the Vuelta a España, but zero victories since 2012.
Janez Brajkovic
The 2010 Critérium du Dauphiné winner called 2014 one of his worst seasons yet partly due to his crash in the Giro d'Italia. The Slovenian, after three years with Astana, wants to sign for an American team.
