10 intriguing cycling transfers of the off-season

Having dealt with the likes of Mark Cavendish, Marcel Kittel, Richie Porte, Mikel Landa and the other big guns in last week's Top 10 Transfers blog, we now move on to the less high-profile but equally alluring moves that have materialised over the off-season.

In no particular order, here is our selection of the moves which could fire riders back to the top - or backfire completely...

Who?! Good question. If you're new to cycling you probably won't have ever heard of this Betancur chap, such has been the underwhelming nature of his past two seasons - riddled with injury, poor form, family distractions, visa issues, homesickness, weight gain and a chronic lack of motivation. But this is a rider who finished 5th in the 2013 Giro d'Italia and won Paris-Nice just 19 months ago.

Why? Betancur's last season at Ag2R-La Mondiale was a non-event, littered with DNFs, triple-digit placings and hardly salvaged by a low-key 20th in the Giro - amazingly his last race of the season. A move was inevitable.

Will it work? In his pomp, Betancur was picking up more second-places that Peter Sagan, with four alone in the 2013 Giro. If he can tackle his much documented weight problems and rediscover his mojo, Betancur has enough in his armoury to become relevant again - as opposed to an Ag2R anomaly. Riding alongside three Colombians in a Spanish team with Eusebio Unzue at the helm will suit Betancur much better - and he's already promised to "show the class of rider that I am" at his new team. The jury's out on whether he can deliver.

Who?! The self-confessed "cold-blooded" Spanish spelling-mistake-in-waiting has twice won stages on the Giro with Movistar, most recently earlier this year after feigning tiredness to outfox a smarting Swiss Sebastien Reichenbach on the climb to Campitello Matese.

Why? This one came out of the blue with the 29-year-old leaving the security of a Spanish team to ride for the British-based Sky. With a number of riders - including Betancur - joining Movistar this winter, Intxausti may have seen his options limited in the coming years. Entering his peak years, Intxausti clearly needed a fresh challenge after five seasons at Movistar. Sky's salary would have made financial sense, too.

Will it work? A team player with an ability to win smaller stage races, Intxausti should prove an asset to Sky, where he'll join forces with fellow Spaniards Mikel Landa, Mikel Nieve and David Lopez. Once tipped as a potential Grand Tour contender, the solid all-rounder could well relish a role as super-domestique to the likes of Froome and Thomas.

Who?! The Spanish livewire is usually joined at the hip with Joaquim Rodriguez, given licence to roam on punchy uphill finishes whenever Purito's feeling smoked. A triple stage winner on the Vuelta, Moreno is ending his five-year relationship with Rodriguez and Katusha to return to the team he rode for back in 2008 and 2009.

Why? A reported fall-out with Rodriguez is the root of the move. With evergreen Purito still the fulcrum of Katusha's armoury, Moreno clearly had enough of playing the support role.

Will it work? Moreno may find himself even lower down the pecking order at Movistar, with Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde the main men around a cluster of minions. But a return to Spain may bring out the best in a rider who came close to a maiden monument win at Il Lombardia last month.

Who?! Estonian 28-year-old Taaramae was once seen as one of the most exciting prospects in cycling but has yet to crack a top-10 finish in a Grand Tour. His tricky single season at Astana at least ended on a high, with back-to-back victories in the Vuelta a Burgos and the Arctic Race of Norway in August.

Why? Taaramae fell out with team management at Astana where he felt his race programme was made without any consideration of his desires or evaluation of his strengths. Putting his own ambitions aside for the likes of Nibali and Aru became a bitter bill to swallow for a rider who won a stage in the 2011 Vuelta a Espana while at Cofidis.

Will it work? Taaramae cut a forlorn figure in Norway after his Arctic Race victory, opening up to reporters about his depression at Astana and his need for a fresh challenge within a more welcoming team structure. After seven years at Cofidis, Taaramae's first move away from France was always going to be tricky - especially off the back of mononucleosis and other injuries. But he has time on his side and could enjoy a new lease of life at Katusha.

Who?! It's a good question, for the Belgian 32-year-old has but one career win to his name, back in the 2011 Criterium du Dauphine. But van den Broeck has finished in the top 10 of all three Grand Tours and remains one of the most experienced all-rounders in the business.

Why? After years of Soudal stagnation, van den Broeck needs a new approach as he enters the final phases of his career. Since finishing fourth in the 2011 Tour his performances have taken a nosedive, with this year's switched focus on the Giro and Vuelta hardly proving a resounding success.

Will it work? Who knows. If van den Broeck can stay fit and on his bike then the world is his oyster. But the Belgian has a tendency to get caught up in crashes while his winning ratio is terrible for a man for so long on the fringes of being a major GC contender. Alongside Taaramae he may find his calling as a domestique at Katusha - with perhaps a free hand in the Tour, given Rodriguez's continued struggles to make a GC impact in France.

Who?! Grizzled Dutch climber with a propensity to foam at the mouth who has done little of note besides crashing with alarming regularity and beasting Strava since cracking the Tour top 10 in 2014.

Why? After eight years at Rabobank and LottoNL-Jumbo, ten Dam is gambling that a one-year contract at Giant-Alpecin will provide a much-needed spark as he enters the twilight of his career.

Will it work? With Marcel Kittel's departure and the rise of Tom Dumoulin and Warren Barguil as GC contenders, Giant-Alpecin are switching their focus from sprints to stage races. The experienced ten Dam - a veteran of seven Tours - could well prove an invaluable mountain lieutenant to both riders in the major races.

Who?! Kittel is not the only sprinter to part ways with Giant-Alpecin this winter, with Slovenian Mezgec - a stage winner in the 2014 Giro - flying the nest.

Why? The emergence of Dumoulin and Barguil, plus John Degenkolb's continued protected status, means Mezgec personal ambitions were cramped. For the team, it wasn't exactly a hard decision to make after the 27-year-old only picked up a solitary win last season.

Will it work? Mezgec may find his own opportunities compromised by lead-out duties for the likes of Michael Matthews, Caleb Ewan and Simon Gerrans. But he was hardly setting the world on fire at Giant so a change of air could well fan the flames a little.

Who?! Veteran Spanish climber who took stage wins in both the Tour and Vuelta during his single season at Lampre-Merida.

Why? Presumably, Orica-GreenEdge took advantage of Plaza only being tied down for one year at Lampre and offered the veteran more money and security before the Italians could consider a contract extension that surely must have been on the cards given his stellar performances.

Will it work? Plaza's experience should work wonders with Orica-GreenEdge, who will look to continue the development of Esteban Chaves and the Yates brothers as GC riders in the Grand Tours. Plaza will find it hard to replicate the unexpected heights he hit this year but he should certainly bring something to the table.

Who?! The 36-year-old Frenchman is a veteran of 20 Grand Tours, a former yellow jersey wearer, a winner of three Tour stages and three Paris-Nice scalps, plus a runner-up in the Ronde van Vlaanderen (2011). He also rides a bright orange bike to match his equally orange Chevrolet Camaro.

Why? The prospects of having both French housewives' favourites - Chavanel and Thomas Voeckler - under the same roof was clearly too much for Jean-Rene Bernaudau to turn down. But seriously, IAM Cycling were unwilling to prolong Chavanel's contract while the experienced Frenchman still felt he had something to offer before hanging up his shoes. With the team formerly known as Europcar losing bodies amid their sponsorship uncertainties, Bernaudeau needed replacements fast - and someone with the experience of Chavanel was a no-brainer.

Will it work? As a short-term fix, why not. Chavanel may have lost his killer instinct, but he's an attacking livewire who should fit seamlessly back into the Bernaudeau family after 12 years away.

Who?! Son of Dutch legend Jean-Paul and younger brother of Boy, who celebrated his maiden Grand Tour stage win by announcing his impending move to Sky.

Why? Despite his victory on the Vuelta, it appears Trek lost confidence in the 22 year old, who - unlike his brother - was not offered a new contract. Van Poppel told reporters that both he and his team-mates found the decision baffling and that he "grabbed the opportunity to join Team Sky with both hands".

Will it work? With three Grand Tours under his belt, Van Poppel is very promising but still rather raw - and it's hard to see him getting the nod over Elia Viviani in any major stage race the team decides to send a sprinter (and what with their plethora of GC options, there won't be many). But Sky apparently see potential in van Poppel emerging as a classics rider and will take a punt on developing a rider who finished 45th in his maiden Paris-Roubaix.

Other transfers to catch our eye include Cyril Gautier (Direct Energie to Ag2R), Nelson Oliviera (Lampre to Movistar), Wouter Wippert (Drapac to Cannondale-Garmin)

Simon Clarke (Orica to Cannondale), Max Richeze (Lampre to Etixx-QuickStep), Sebastien Reichenback (IAM to FDJ), Yukiya Arashiro (Direct Energie to Lampre), Rafa Valls (Lampre to Lotto-Soudal), Omar Fraile (Caja-Rural to Dimension Data), Nathan Haas (Cannondale to Dimension Data).