What is a buy-out in cycling?
A buy-out is a payment that releases a rider from a running contract so they can join another team before the contract ends.
Cycling does not have a standard transfer fee market like football. Most riders move as free agents when their contract expires. A buy-out is the exception: it happens when a rider wants to leave early, or a rival team wants to sign them now rather than wait.
The amount is negotiated between the teams, sometimes based on a clause written into the contract, and sometimes from scratch. Figures are rarely published, so reported buy-out sums should be treated with care unless a team or a reliable outlet confirms them.
Buy-outs have become more common at the top of the market, as a small number of very well-funded teams compete for the best young riders. They can also end a contract when a rider is unhappy and the team prefers a clean break.
A related but different idea is a development or training fee, paid when a young rider leaves a development structure. Our page on development fees explains how those work. We never invent a buy-out figure; if none has been reported, none is shown.