As he himself pointedly recalled, Alexander Salby concluded the last season with a total of fourteen personal victories: nine in pro races (the same number as Jonathan Milan), two in .2 races, and three in the little-known (at least in Europe) China Pro League.

Such prolificacy led the Danish rider, formerly with Bingoal WB, who moved to the Li Ning Star (one of the most equipped and ambitious Continental Chinese teams) at the beginning of the year to relaunch himself, to end the year as the tenth most winning rider in the world (considering only professional races). However, this did not allow him to return to top-tier cycling by signing a new contract in Europe, and thus he will continue to race in the East in 2026.

"Cycling has the power to remind you that results don't always tell the whole story. This sport is not always fair. The victories I managed to achieve were not enough to open the doors to the most important teams or bring me back to the highest levels of the professional scene, to the races I've always dreamed of since I was a child," wrote the twenty-seven-year-old from Aabenraa with a clear hint of bitterness on his social media, though still satisfied with the season he experienced in China.

"Despite this, this year I lived my dream. I cycled all over the world, spent time with incredible people, formed friendships that will last a lifetime... Moving to Asia was a choice I made to rediscover my happiness, and I'm proud to say that I succeeded. I rediscovered the joy of cycling, my love for competition, and regained confidence in myself. Of course, I also came here with the ambition to win enough to earn a contract with a major European team, but unfortunately, this scenario did not materialize," Salby explained.

"Why? Was the competitive landscape not prestigious enough? Is the pure sprinter a dying breed? Or perhaps because my results came at the wrong time, in a market window made chaotic by relegations and the uncertainties they bring? Honestly, I don't know. What I do know is that I'm proud of what I've achieved," the Scandinavian sprinter tried to reason, listing three possible motivations that likely all contain a kernel of truth.

It is undeniable that the races in which Salby excelled (Tour of Taihu Lake, Tour of Magnificent Qinghai, Tour of Hainan, Tour of Huangshan, Tour of Shanhai, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn's Cup Tour of Thailand, Yellow River Estuary Road Cycling Race) do not, despite the high competitive level and racing intensity we've seen with our own eyes, carry the same weight and impact in certain discussions compared to European races of the same category.

At the same time, it is also true that the sprinter figure is generally fading more and more towards that of a puncheur, and that, speaking of 2025, the year (the last of the three-year period started in 2023) was influenced by the feverish search for points, while the next will see most teams not living with this anxiety and, consequently, not having the need to hire an experienced sprinter capable of accumulating (if faced with a calendar suitable to his characteristics, as was the case for Malucelli this year) significant quantities of points.

It is not far-fetched to think, therefore, that this mix of ingredients and considerations has, as a whole, acted as a brake on Salby's potential return to high-level cycling. He will, as he had already anticipated to us this summer, continue without problems to defend the colors of Li Ning Star, remaining in China in an environment with an increasingly European imprint (see the 2026 signings of former Caja Rural Calum Johnston, former Lotto Sepulveda, and the Dutch Sinschek).

"Now is the time to set new goals, find new motivations, and continue to give my all to reach a level where I can fight to win and build a great career in this sport. In 2026, therefore, I will continue to race with Li-Ning, in Asia, hungry, motivated, and grateful for the path I've taken. The dream is not over," Salby concluded, implicitly giving an appointment to everyone in the coming months when, in the East, he will once again have space and fertile ground to raise his arms to the sky repeatedly.

Photo Credit: Tour of Magnificent Qinghai