Pro transfers: Warren Barguil heads home to Brittany with Fortuneo-Oscaro, Alexander Kristoff leaves Katusha for UAE Team Emirates

The second day of professional cycling’s annual transfer season has seen two high-profile moves, with Tour de France polka dot jersey winner Warren Barguil signing for Fortuneo-Oscaro. And Alexander Kristoff agreeing terms to move from Katusha to UAE Team Emirates.

Barguil, who won two stages of the Tour de France last month on his way to clinching the mountains competition, comes from the cycling heartland of Brittany, which is where his new team is based – from 2005-15, it carried the region’s name, most recently as Bretagne–Séché Environnement.

Signing one of French cycling’s rising stars is a coup for the UCI Professional Continental outfit, which has big ambitions.

The 25-year-old said: “I’m really happy to join Fortuneo-Oscaro. I’ve watched them grow in strength these past few years.

“The last Tour de France showed that they have a very solid squad and individuals capable of getting really good places at this level of competition.

 “Emmanuel Hubert has the ambition of further growing the team through I project I find exciting, consistent with aiming for results in the biggest international races, while keeping a ‘family’ feeling.

“Emmanuel understands how I want to function in the image of what I managed to do in the last Tour de France – to let my natural attacking temperament do the talking.

“The project we have together is a medium term one, so we’ll take it stage by stage and not change the things that are working well.”

He added that the team’s Breton roots also had a lot to do with his decision to sign for them.

“As I carry on with my career, I wanted to go back to my roots,” he said.

Barguil has also helped the team recruit his friend, the BMC Racing rider Amaël Moinard, who rode for Jean Floc’h, as it was then, in 2004, the year before it evolved into a professional outift.

Meanwhile, in a post on Facebook, UAE Team Emirates said it had “reached a deal with cyclist Alexander Kristoff to take him into the ranks of the team for the 2018 and 2019 seasons.”

The team added: “The definitive contract will be signed in the next few weeks, after some routine tests by the team's medical staff.”

Kristoff, who has just turned 30, had a disappointing Tour de France but won the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic on Sunday, the first edition since the race was elevated to UCI WorldTour status.

The Norwegian’s biggest victories are Milan-San Remo in 2014 and, the following season, the Tour of Flanders, and he is also a two-time Tour de France stage winner.