For the third consecutive day, UAE Team Emirates-XRG announces a new rider for the upcoming seasons: after Marco Frigo and Abel Baldstone, today it's the turn of Davide Stella, coming from the UAE Team Emirates Gen Z development squad, who will join the WorldTour team starting from the beginning of 2027. The young Italian has signed a three-year contract.

Stella's signing represents another important success for the team's Gen Z development pathway, which aims to provide the most promising riders with the environment and experience necessary for the transition to the highest level of professional cycling.

Stella has demonstrated his potential both on road and track during his young career: known for his excellent sprinting abilities, the Friuli-born rider had a difficult start to the season due to a serious crash at the AlUla Tour in Saudi Arabia. After a long rehabilitation period, he managed to return to racing successfully, achieving a stage victory at the Volta Portugal Futuro in May. And from today he will be competing with his team on the roads of the Tour de l'Avenir.

Since joining the Gen Z team, Stella has continued to make important progress, gaining valuable experience and racing in support of the WorldTeam. His growth has now allowed him to move full-time to the WorldTour.

Davide Stella comments: «This move means so much to me. It's a dream I've nurtured since childhood and achieving it now gives me the opportunity to set new goals and pursue even bigger dreams with the team. Moving from the Gen Z team to the WorldTour has always been my ambition and I believe the time spent there has given me an excellent pathway to take the next step in my career. It's been a difficult season, but I've worked hard to turn things around and I'm very grateful to all the fantastic people around me and to the team for making all of this possible».

Mauro Gianetti (Team Principal & CEO): «Davide is a rider we've followed closely during our Gen Z programme and we're pleased with the progress he has demonstrated. He's still very young, so the priority will be to give him the time and space to continue growing, both as a rider and as a person. His promotion is another example of what we want to achieve with the Gen Z project: offering talented young riders a clear pathway to the WorldTour squad».

This move confirms UAE Team Emirates-XRG's long-term commitment to developing young talent, with Stella following the pathway from the Gen Z squad to professional cycling, in the footsteps of Pablo Torres, Adrià Pericas and Luca Giaimi.