Maxim Van Gils’ contract battle with Lotto Dstny pushes pro cycling towards a football-style transfer market system

Maxim Van Gils’ decision to try to rip up his contract with Lotto Dstny has sparked another rider-team battle bust-up and pushed professional cycling closer to a de facto rider transfer market system.

Most other sports have a regulated transfer market or player trading rules but the UCI rules on contracts have remained largely unchanged for years and are arguably archaic, allowing for disruptive moves even as riders begin to train for the new season.