After an excellent season with the Development team, Lev Gonov has signed a two-year contract with the XDS Astana WorldTour Team. With this, Gonev becomes the 30th rider of the team and closes the transfer campaign for XDS Astana Team for the next season.

The 25-year-old rider had an important season with the XDS Astana Development Team, but he also demonstrated his value in races with the WorldTour team. Gonev won a stage of the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey and contributed to the success of his leaders both in Turkey and at the Tour of Langkawi, Tour of Lake Taihu and several other races.

"This year has been the most challenging of my career! I saw the level of true professional racing and became even more passionate about this incredible sport. Now, by signing a contract with a World Tour team, I have new growth opportunities and I am determined to prove that I am a rider worthy of this name. There is a lot of work to do in every area, but I am ready to face it together with the team! I thank the management of XDS Astana Team for their trust and for this unique opportunity. This year went well, but I am sure the future will be even better," Lev Gonov stated.

"Lev quickly integrated both in the Devo team and the WorldTour team, with which he raced for most of the season. He achieved a great victory in Turkey and significantly contributed to the team's successes in Asia in the second half of the year. I believe we can be satisfied with his progress this season, so his transition from the development team to the WorldTour is more than logical. The XDS Astana team roster for 2026 is now complete and the team is currently at its first pre-season training camp, so preparations for 2026 are in full swing," said Alexandr Vinokurov.