Eulálio's agent enters contract negotiations after stunning Giro: 'Figures five or six times higher'

Afonso Eulálio has the cycling world at his feet — if his agent Beñat Intxausti is to be believed. The former Spanish professional, now working as a rider agent, told Top Cycling that Eulálio's current contract with Bahrain Victorious may count for very little in the wake of his Giro performance.

The 24-year-old Eulálio got his big breakthrough at the Giro d'Italia, where he spent nine days in the pink leader's jersey and ultimately finished with sixth place overall and the white young rider's jersey. The Portuguese rider had already shown himself to be a genuine talent at continental level, but this surpassed all expectations.

Eulálio joined Bahrain Victorious for the 2025 season and made his Grand Tour debut at last year's Giro. He was already showing promising form earlier this year with fifth place at the AlUla Tour. But almost nobody saw what he would produce over three weeks in Italy coming.

Bahrain Victorious will be delighted with Eulálio's development — but they also know there is work to be done. Eulálio already has a contract through 2028, but his agent Beñat Intxausti says the Giro has changed the scale of the discussion around his future. A straightforward contract extension is no longer on the table in the same terms as before.

"Afonso has a contract until the end of 2028, but it is clear that things have changed a lot with the Giro," Intxausti told Top Cycling. "Bahrain Victorious now want to offer him a long-term contract."

That is something camp Eulálio is open to in principle — but on very different terms. "Last winter, three WorldTour teams showed interest, but Afonso wanted to stay, because Bahrain Victorious believed in him when he was still a continental rider. But market value is determined by the market. After this season, there will certainly be more teams interested. They can offer him a better contract."

The message is clear: Bahrain Victorious will need to come up with considerably more than what has been on the table so far. "We are currently negotiating a longer-term deal. After the Giro, we are talking about figures five or six times higher than his current contract."

Whether or not something has already been formally signed through to 2028, cycling has repeatedly shown that a contract means little when more money is available elsewhere. The fact that these extension talks are still ongoing adds further pressure on Bahrain Victorious to get a deal done quickly.

The team does, however, have big plans for Eulálio, according to Intxausti, who works within the agency of Alex Carera. "They have a four-year plan to turn Afonso into a solid stage racer for Grand Tours and week-long stage races. But the Giro already gave him the chance to be a leader. The Afonso who finished the Giro is a different rider from the one who started it."

Author: David Bavin-Hobbs - [email protected]