Lorenzo Fortunato,king of climbers at the 2025 Giro d'Italia, has signed a new two-year contract with XDS Astana Team for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. Fortunato, who is 29 years old, has had an excellent season, achieving several significant results. In addition to winning the blue jersey for best climber at the Giro d'Italia, Lorenzo also secured a stage victory at the Tour de Romandie, where he finished 4th in the general classification, a 2nd place in the general classification at Vuelta a Burgos, and a 3rd place at the Classica Faun-Ardèche.

"I am truly happy to extend my contract with the team. Honestly, I had no doubts: I feel extremely comfortable in the XDS Astana Team, so the decision was very simple. I didn't even consider other options. In these two years, I have made great progress and hope to continue improving. I think this season went very well, and next year I want to continue winning and representing the team at the highest levels in the WorldTour and Grand Tours," said Lorenzo Fortunato.

"Lorenzo has improved significantly, especially in terms of confidence and consistency. This year he showed a very high level both at the beginning of the season and at the Giro d'Italia, which was his main objective, and also in the second half of the year. After two seasons with us, Lorenzo has completely integrated into the team, so this new contract is a natural step for both him and us," added Alexandr Vinokurov, General Manager of XDS Astana Team.