Transfer season in the Pro Peloton

It's been an interesting transfer season in the pro cycling world so far. I thought I'd pen a few brief thoughts on what I consider to be some of the more key moves confirmed so far.

First of all, we have what is becoming the BMC SuperTeam.

Thor Hushovd (top) & Philippe Gilbert (bottom) - both destined to wear BMC jerseys next season.

BMC have signed both Thor Hushovd and Philippe Gilbert for next year. Already, they looked to be stacked with winners - Cadel Evans, Greg Van Avermaet, and Marcus Burghardt are just a few of the big names already in the squad.  Not to mention the potential of young American Taylor Phinney.

Obviously, the signings were all about BMC winning more than just the Tour de France and the week-long stage races that Cadel  has excelled in this year. However, as a fan of all things cycling, I'm not exactly thrilled.

In my ideal cycling world, all the 'heavy hitters' would be on different teams - I love seeing these guys race each other. However, we'll now see Hushovd and Gilbert racing together in Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders, and Gilbert with Cadel in Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Tour of Lombardia.

To me, that's a shame.

Cadel Evans & Philippe Gilbert after racing to the line - sadly, we won't see that again...

Finally, a few quick notes about Australian start-up team GreenEdge.

As an Australian cycling fan, its hard not to get over-excited about this team. Some of the new signings include Simon Gerrans, Jack Bobridge, Travis and Cameron Meyer, and Stuart O'Grady.

GreenEdge have stated upfront they are looking to initially pitch themselves as a "one-day Classics"-style team. So far, they are certainly recruiting the type of rider who will excel in this type of race.

I also like some of the 'old heads' they have recruited. Guys like Stuart O'Grady, while they may no longer be at the very peak of their cycling powers, will be able to teach and guide the up-&-coming younger riders in so many ways. The opportunity to ride under Stuey's guidance will be invaluable.

That's all for now. I'm looking forward to watching the transfer season progress - I'm especially keen to find out the ultimate destination of Mark Cavendish, now that his HTC team has folded.