Who is Alex Carera, this agent who draws cycling towards the world of football

What if cycling borrowed its spectacular transfers and golden contracts from football? With Alex Carera, sports agent for stars like Tadej Pogacar and Maxim Van Gils, the peloton is facing a paradigm shift. Negotiations strategist, he redefines relationships between riders, teams and agents. But his approach, as visionary as it is controversial, is not unanimous.

Alex Carera, the maestro of sports agents

Born in Italy in 1976, Alex Carera grew up in a culture where sport is an art. Passionate about tennis and cycling, he quickly established himself as a key figure in career management. With his agency A&J All Sportsco-founded with his brother, it represents a constellation of talents, including Tadej Pogacar, two-time winner of the Tour de France, and Cian Uijtdebroeks, the Belgian rising star. In the past, Nibali, Simoni and Cunego have also been under his wing. Proud of his work, he displays on his site the 6 Giro or even 5 Tour de France that his riders have won.

But Carera is not an agent like the others. Its philosophy borrows practices from football that are revolutionizing cycling. Robust negotiations, spectacular transfers and termination of contracts if necessary: he does not hesitate to play by the rules to maximize his clients' opportunities.

Alex Carera, an atypical career

Principal and active member of an amateur tennis association RAFT aimed at promoting this sport, he is involved in several other areas. His journey was strewn with pitfalls. After creating his agency in March 1998, he had to close it in June 2016. If there is little information about him, we can assume that the position offered in October 2016 by Bahrain Victorious as Marketing and Sales Manager prevented being involved in a conflict of interest. June 2019 sounded the death knell for his interlude with the Gulf cycling team, and revisited the emergence of his business A&J All Sports. This company can pride itself on providing the best possible support to its runners by taking care of them. It was also after this episode within one of the biggest teams in the pro peloton that Carera's name was permanently etched in stone. The explosion of Tadej Pogacar allowing him to be put even more at the forefront.

“We are professionals who passionately manage athletes at 360°, taking care of every aspect of the life of our champions”. Slogan de A&J Sports

For the record, Carera is a survivor. A few years ago, he survived a terrible car accident. Admitted to hospital in critical condition, he underwent a delicate surgical procedure before being intubated. Seeing the condition of the car, his brother said it was a miracle he escaped. You can learn more about the story of this accident ici.

Terrible accident of Alex Carera near Brescia

The latest coup to date, the Maxim Van Gils affair placed Carera at the center of the debates. While we had just learned of the request for termination of contract, Laurens Ten Dam had no doubt who was behind this maneuver: “He started the season strong and signed a contract extension in March, which would earn him 500,000 euros per year. However, being among the top 5 riders in the UCI rankings at the end of April, his position changed. Alex Carera drove him crazy, promising him he could earn one or two million euros this season“. Crazy numbers that easily turn heads.

The young Belgian rider, under contract with Lotto Dstny until 2026, therefore decided to leave the team prematurely. Carera supported the decision, citing Belgian labor law to justify a unilateral breakup. This approach provoked contrasting reactions. Some see it as a step towards more justice for riders, often locked into rigid contracts. Others criticize an opportunistic strategy which could weaken relations between teams and athletes.

Carera, however, demonstrated unusual transparency by fully accepting this choice. “ It is not a question of breaking contracts, but of allowing riders to evolve in the best possible conditions. “, he explains. What about true and false? If he highlights the flexibility of contracts and the advantage for the riders, we can nevertheless hypothesize that this allows his business to run. More transfers, more bonuses. Everyone will have their own opinion.

A decisive impact on the future of cycling

Alex Carera's approach disrupts the codes of a sport still marked by its traditions. By introducing more aggressive practices inspired by football, he pushed cycling towards a new era of professionalization. This translates into better-paid contracts, increased attention from sponsors and a spotlight on young talents. But this wind of modernity raises questions. Is cycling, a sport of effort and solidarity, ready to integrate logics often perceived as individualistic? Critics point to the risk of seeing teams lose their stability, while some players are already talking about a “commodification” of the peloton as evidenced by the Van Gils affair.

Recently, he positioned himself in opposition to the UCI, which wishes to cap budgets: “A lot of people have asked my opinion on the budget cap/salary cap – I think it's a meaningless proposition. In every sport, the best must win, so if the best managers manage to find more economic resources, it is fair that their teams perform better than the others.“A vision which, as we understand by reading these lines, defends above all its interests rather than those of sporting fairness.

Whether admired or criticized, Alex Carera remains an essential figure in contemporary cycling. His daring methods inspire as much as they worry, and his impact on the sport is undeniable. One thing is certain: the peloton has not finished talking about him.

Lists of riders represented by Carera and A&J: