Pablo Castrillo's caché has skyrocketed and there is nothing closed for 2025

Just a few days ago, the signing of Pablo Castrillo by INEOS Grenadiers was practically considered a done deal. Now, after increasing his value in the market thanks to his two stage victories in La Vuelta 2024, more teams are joining the bidding for the rider from Huesca. What seemed to be a sure thing is now not so certain, with the British team possibly facing a moment where karma repays them for what happened last year with the failed attempt to sign Carlos Rodríguez by Movistar Team.

The best teams in the peloton are vying for the signing of Pablo Castrillo

There is no doubt that the Huesca native Pablo Castrillo has become, by his own merits, both for the two stages conquered in Manzaneda and Cuitu Negru, and for being one of the most active cyclists in the race as the revelation rider of La Vuelta 2024.

Castrillo will finish his contract with Kern Pharma, a ProTeam category team, at the end of this current season, the second tier of cycling, a modest team that has traditionally been a kind of breeding ground for Spanish cycling, first in the Lizarte times, when it supplied riders to the Movistar Team structure and now, being the team where many young riders entering professionalism have the opportunity to show what they are worth with the support of a serious structure led by Juanjo Oroz.

Since May, there have been rumors of INEOS Grenadiers' interest in Pablo Castrillo, a cyclist who has not only shone in this edition of La Vuelta but has also had a tremendously consistent season. A young rider with potential following the renewal strategy that the British team has been seeking as a way to revive the glory days when they were unbeatable.

However, what seemed like a closed deal is now not so certain, and rumors already suggest that Astana, Cofidis, Red Bull-BORA-hansgroy, and Movistar have counteroffered to surpass the contract that INEOS Grenadiers had put on the table. In any case, as is often the case in these situations, it is difficult to discern how much of these teams' offers are real, how much is just interest in exploring the possibility of signing, and above all, how much is an attempt to improve the conditions of the contract, theoretically already agreed upon, after the rider's value increased with his victories in La Vuelta.

In any case, until the end of the Spanish tour on Sunday, September 8, the rider's environment has declined to comment on the future of Pablo Castrillo, so it is possible that, starting next week, we will know the definitive destination of the latest gem of Spanish cycling.