Use this rider reference to shortlist specialists quickly in Pro Cycling Manager 26. It covers 2,376 riders across 88 teams and 79 countries, with the strongest names grouped by the ratings that matter most for planning squads, goals, and race-day leaders.
Most performance ratings use the larger rider-stat scale. Potential, Tour Focus, and Classics Focus use smaller scales, so compare those values only within their own columns.
The Potential column is included beside each table so you can separate immediate stars from riders who may be more valuable over a longer career save.
Quick Picks
| Need | Start With |
|---|
| Grand tours and hard mountain stages | Check Climbing, Recovery, Endurance, and Tour Focus together. |
| One-day classics | Check Cobblestones, Hills, Acceleration, Resistance, and Classics Focus. |
| Flat sprints | Check Sprint, Acceleration, and Flat. |
| Time trials and prologues | Check Time Trial and Prologue. |
| Stage-hunting attackers | Check Breakaways, Endurance, and the terrain stat for the target race. |
Best All-Round Riders
This table uses a simple average of the main visible performance ratings. Treat it as a sorting aid for versatile riders rather than a separate in-game rating.
| Rider | Team | Country | All-Round | Potential |
|---|
| Tadej Pogačar | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Slovenia | 79.1 | 6 |
| Wout van Aert | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | Belgium | 77.4 | 6 |
| Remco Evenepoel | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | Belgium | 76.8 | 6 |
| Mathieu van der Poel | Alpecin-Premier Tech | Netherlands | 76.1 | 6 |
| Isaac del Toro | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Mexico | 76 | 6 |
| Paul Seixas | Decathlon CMA CGM Team | France | 75.9 | 6 |
| Mads Pedersen | Lidl - Trek | Denmark | 75.9 | 5.5 |
| Jonas Vingegaard | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | Denmark | 75.6 | 6 |
| Thomas Pidcock | Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling | United Kingdom | 75.4 | 5.5 |
| Brandon McNulty | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | United States of America | 74.9 | 5.5 |
| João Almeida | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Portugal | 74.9 | 5.5 |
| Matteo Jorgenson | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | United States of America | 74.9 | 5 |
| Ben Healy | EF Education-EasyPost | Ireland | 74.9 | 5 |
| Tim Wellens | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Belgium | 74.5 | 5 |
| Mauro Schmid | Team Jayco AlUla | Switzerland | 74.4 | 5 |
Best Riders by Attribute
Climbing
| Rider | Team | Country | Climbing | Potential |
|---|
| Tadej Pogačar | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Slovenia | 83 | 6 |
| Jonas Vingegaard | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | Denmark | 83 | 6 |
| Paul Seixas | Decathlon CMA CGM Team | France | 82 | 6 |
| Florian Lipowitz | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | Germany | 81 | 5 |
| Felix Gall | Decathlon CMA CGM Team | Austria | 81 | 5 |
| Remco Evenepoel | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | Belgium | 80 | 6 |
| Juan Ayuso | Lidl - Trek | Spain | 80 | 6 |
| Isaac del Toro | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Mexico | 80 | 6 |
| Lenny Martinez | Bahrain Victorious | France | 80 | 5.5 |
| João Almeida | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Portugal | 80 | 5.5 |
Time Trial
| Rider | Team | Country | Time Trial | Potential |
|---|
| Remco Evenepoel | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | Belgium | 83 | 6 |
| Filippo Ganna | Netcompany INEOS | Italy | 82 | 6 |
| Joshua Tarling | Netcompany INEOS | United Kingdom | 81 | 5 |
| Brandon McNulty | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | United States of America | 80 | 5.5 |
| Tadej Pogačar | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Slovenia | 79 | 6 |
| Thymen Arensman | Netcompany INEOS | Netherlands | 79 | 5 |
| Jay Vine | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Australia | 79 | 5 |
| Wout van Aert | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | Belgium | 78 | 6 |
| Magnus Sheffield | Netcompany INEOS | United States of America | 78 | 6 |
| Juan Ayuso | Lidl - Trek | Spain | 78 | 6 |
Sprint
| Rider | Team | Country | Sprint | Potential |
|---|
| Tim Merlier | Soudal - QuickStep | Belgium | 82 | 5 |
| Jonathan Milan | Lidl - Trek | Italy | 82 | 5 |
| Jasper Philipsen | Alpecin-Premier Tech | Belgium | 82 | 5 |
| Paul Magnier | Soudal - QuickStep | France | 81 | 5.5 |
| Olav Kooij | Decathlon CMA CGM Team | Netherlands | 80 | 5.5 |
| Tobias Lund Andresen | Decathlon CMA CGM Team | Denmark | 80 | 5 |
| Dylan Groenewegen | Unibet Rose Rockets | Netherlands | 79 | 5 |
| Kaden Groves | Alpecin-Premier Tech | Australia | 79 | 5 |
| Jordi Meeus | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | Belgium | 79 | 4.5 |
| Matthew Brennan | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | United Kingdom | 78 | 5.5 |
Acceleration
| Rider | Team | Country | Acceleration | Potential |
|---|
| Mathieu van der Poel | Alpecin-Premier Tech | Netherlands | 81 | 6 |
| Thibau Nys | Lidl - Trek | Belgium | 81 | 5 |
| Olav Kooij | Decathlon CMA CGM Team | Netherlands | 80 | 5.5 |
| Tim Merlier | Soudal - QuickStep | Belgium | 80 | 5 |
| Jasper Philipsen | Alpecin-Premier Tech | Belgium | 80 | 5 |
| Paul Magnier | Soudal - QuickStep | France | 79 | 5.5 |
| Kaden Groves | Alpecin-Premier Tech | Australia | 79 | 5 |
| Axel Laurance | Netcompany INEOS | France | 79 | 4.5 |
| Tadej Pogačar | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Slovenia | 78 | 6 |
| Isaac del Toro | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Mexico | 78 | 6 |
Cobblestones
| Rider | Team | Country | Cobblestones | Potential |
|---|
| Mathieu van der Poel | Alpecin-Premier Tech | Netherlands | 82 | 6 |
| Wout van Aert | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | Belgium | 82 | 6 |
| Mads Pedersen | Lidl - Trek | Denmark | 81 | 5.5 |
| Jasper Stuyven | Soudal - QuickStep | Belgium | 80 | 5.5 |
| Tadej Pogačar | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Slovenia | 79 | 6 |
| Nils Politt | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Germany | 79 | 5 |
| Jasper Philipsen | Alpecin-Premier Tech | Belgium | 79 | 5 |
| Tim van Dijke | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | Netherlands | 78 | 5 |
| Florian Vermeersch | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Belgium | 78 | 5 |
| Tim Wellens | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Belgium | 77 | 5 |
Hills
| Rider | Team | Country | Hills | Potential |
|---|
| Tadej Pogačar | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Slovenia | 83 | 6 |
| Paul Seixas | Decathlon CMA CGM Team | France | 82 | 6 |
| Remco Evenepoel | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | Belgium | 81 | 6 |
| Jonas Vingegaard | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | Denmark | 81 | 6 |
| Isaac del Toro | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Mexico | 81 | 6 |
| Thomas Pidcock | Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling | United Kingdom | 81 | 5.5 |
| Mattias Skjelmose | Lidl - Trek | Denmark | 81 | 5 |
| Romain Grégoire | Groupama - FDJ United | France | 80 | 5.5 |
| Mauro Schmid | Team Jayco AlUla | Switzerland | 80 | 5 |
| Kévin Vauquelin | Netcompany INEOS | France | 80 | 5 |
Flat
| Rider | Team | Country | Flat | Potential |
|---|
| Remco Evenepoel | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | Belgium | 83 | 6 |
| Filippo Ganna | Netcompany INEOS | Italy | 82 | 6 |
| Mads Pedersen | Lidl - Trek | Denmark | 81 | 5.5 |
| Mathieu van der Poel | Alpecin-Premier Tech | Netherlands | 80 | 6 |
| Wout van Aert | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | Belgium | 80 | 6 |
| Magnus Sheffield | Netcompany INEOS | United States of America | 79 | 6 |
| Quinn Simmons | Lidl - Trek | United States of America | 79 | 5 |
| Jonas Abrahamsen | Uno-X Mobility | Norway | 79 | 4 |
| Nils Politt | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Germany | 78 | 5 |
| Iván Romeo | Movistar Team | Spain | 78 | 5 |
Prologue
| Rider | Team | Country | Prologue | Potential |
|---|
| Samuel Watson | Netcompany INEOS | United Kingdom | 82 | 4.5 |
| Brandon McNulty | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | United States of America | 81 | 5.5 |
| Joshua Tarling | Netcompany INEOS | United Kingdom | 81 | 5 |
| Remco Evenepoel | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | Belgium | 80 | 6 |
| Filippo Ganna | Netcompany INEOS | Italy | 80 | 6 |
| Ethan Hayter | Soudal - QuickStep | United Kingdom | 80 | 4.5 |
| Mads Pedersen | Lidl - Trek | Denmark | 79 | 5.5 |
| João Almeida | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Portugal | 79 | 5.5 |
| Stefan Bissegger | Decathlon CMA CGM Team | Switzerland | 79 | 5 |
| Ethan Vernon | NSN Cycling Team | United Kingdom | 79 | 5 |
Endurance
| Rider | Team | Country | Endurance | Potential |
|---|
| Tadej Pogačar | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Slovenia | 83 | 6 |
| Mathieu van der Poel | Alpecin-Premier Tech | Netherlands | 83 | 6 |
| Paul Seixas | Decathlon CMA CGM Team | France | 82 | 6 |
| Jonas Vingegaard | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | Denmark | 82 | 6 |
| Remco Evenepoel | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | Belgium | 81 | 6 |
| Wout van Aert | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | Belgium | 81 | 6 |
| Mads Pedersen | Lidl - Trek | Denmark | 81 | 5.5 |
| Ben Healy | EF Education-EasyPost | Ireland | 81 | 5 |
| João Almeida | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Portugal | 80 | 5.5 |
| Isaac del Toro | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Mexico | 79 | 6 |
Resistance
| Rider | Team | Country | Resistance | Potential |
|---|
| Mathieu van der Poel | Alpecin-Premier Tech | Netherlands | 82 | 6 |
| Wout van Aert | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | Belgium | 81 | 6 |
| Tadej Pogačar | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Slovenia | 80 | 6 |
| Mads Pedersen | Lidl - Trek | Denmark | 80 | 5.5 |
| Toms Skujiņš | Lidl - Trek | Latvia | 80 | 5 |
| Thomas Pidcock | Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling | United Kingdom | 79 | 5.5 |
| Arnaud De Lie | Lotto-Intermarché | Belgium | 79 | 5.5 |
| Michael Matthews | Team Jayco AlUla | Australia | 79 | 5 |
| Paul Seixas | Decathlon CMA CGM Team | France | 78 | 6 |
| Mauro Schmid | Team Jayco AlUla | Switzerland | 78 | 5 |
Recovery
| Rider | Team | Country | Recovery | Potential |
|---|
| Tadej Pogačar | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Slovenia | 81 | 6 |
| Jonas Vingegaard | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | Denmark | 81 | 6 |
| Richard Carapaz | EF Education-EasyPost | Ecuador | 81 | 5.5 |
| João Almeida | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Portugal | 81 | 5.5 |
| Jai Hindley | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | Australia | 80 | 5 |
| Derek Gee-West | Lidl - Trek | Canada | 80 | 5 |
| Wout van Aert | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | Belgium | 79 | 6 |
| Oscar Onley | Netcompany INEOS | United Kingdom | 79 | 5 |
| Giulio Pellizzari | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | Italy | 79 | 5 |
| Juan Ayuso | Lidl - Trek | Spain | 78 | 6 |
Breakaways
| Rider | Team | Country | Breakaways | Potential |
|---|
| Baptiste Veistroffer | Lotto-Intermarché | France | 83 | 3.5 |
| Abram Stockman | Unibet Rose Rockets | Belgium | 83 | 3.5 |
| Quinn Simmons | Lidl - Trek | United States of America | 81 | 5 |
| Ben Healy | EF Education-EasyPost | Ireland | 81 | 5 |
| Jonas Abrahamsen | Uno-X Mobility | Norway | 81 | 4 |
| Toms Skujiņš | Lidl - Trek | Latvia | 80 | 5 |
| Alec Segaert | Bahrain Victorious | Belgium | 80 | 5 |
| Dries De Bondt | Team Jayco AlUla | Belgium | 80 | 4.5 |
| Victor Vercouillie | Team Flanders - Baloise | Belgium | 80 | 4 |
| Martin Marcellusi | Bardiani CSF 7 Saber | Italy | 80 | 4 |
Tour Focus
| Rider | Team | Country | Tour Focus | Potential |
|---|
| Tadej Pogačar | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Slovenia | 5 | 6 |
| Primož Roglič | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | Slovenia | 5 | 6 |
| Jonas Vingegaard | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | Denmark | 5 | 6 |
| João Almeida | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Portugal | 5 | 5.5 |
| Tobias Johannessen | Uno-X Mobility | Norway | 5 | 5 |
| Oscar Onley | Netcompany INEOS | United Kingdom | 5 | 5 |
| Kévin Vauquelin | Netcompany INEOS | France | 5 | 5 |
| Jai Hindley | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | Australia | 5 | 5 |
| Giulio Pellizzari | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | Italy | 5 | 5 |
| Florian Lipowitz | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | Germany | 5 | 5 |
Classics Focus
| Rider | Team | Country | Classics Focus | Potential |
|---|
| Tadej Pogačar | UAE Team Emirates - XRG | Slovenia | 5 | 6 |
| Mathieu van der Poel | Alpecin-Premier Tech | Netherlands | 5 | 6 |
| Wout van Aert | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | Belgium | 5 | 6 |
| Paul Seixas | Decathlon CMA CGM Team | France | 5 | 6 |
| Thomas Pidcock | Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling | United Kingdom | 5 | 5.5 |
| Mads Pedersen | Lidl - Trek | Denmark | 5 | 5.5 |
| Jasper Stuyven | Soudal - QuickStep | Belgium | 5 | 5.5 |
| Paul Lapeira | Decathlon CMA CGM Team | France | 5 | 5 |
| Neilson Powless | EF Education-EasyPost | United States of America | 5 | 5 |
| Michael Matthews | Team Jayco AlUla | Australia | 5 | 5 |
How to Use the Ratings
- Pick leaders by matching their best ratings to the race profile instead of chasing one universal best rider.
- For stage races, prioritize riders who combine terrain strength with Endurance, Resistance, and Recovery.
- For one-day races, single-day terrain fit matters more, especially Cobblestones, Hills, Sprint, or Time Trial depending on the route.
- In long saves, compare the current rating with Potential before locking in transfers or rider development plans.