There will also be a touch of Spain in the roster of XDS Astana for the upcoming season. The Kazakh team has indeed announced the signing, for 2027 and 2028, of Urko Berrade, an Iberian rider born in '97 who, after gaining prominence for his stage victory at the Vuelta a España 2024 and becoming a flagship rider for Equipo Kern Pharma (his team for the last seven seasons), has decided to seek new horizons by accepting the proposal put forward by Alexandr Vinokurov's team.

"I am truly delighted to take another step forward and become part of the WorldTour with a team like XDS Astana. This is an enormous opportunity for me and I would like to thank the team management for offering me this possibility: I will do my best to repay their trust with results" declared the twenty-eight-year-old from Pamplona after signing, winner in 2025 of the Clàssica Camp de Morvedre and third this year both at the national road championships and at the Clàssica Terres de l'Ebre.

"Next year, my main objective will be to gain experience and learn from my teammates, coaches and sports directors so that I can become, step by step, stronger and more aware of my abilities. I am 100% ready to help the team wherever needed and to do everything possible to achieve our important objectives. Of course, I will also try to make the most of every opportunity I have to demonstrate what I can do".

Berrade will therefore have the opportunity for the first time in his career to compete throughout the year in the most prestigious races of the top world calendar and experience firsthand what it means to defend the colors of a World Tour team, a level where he has already demonstrated in the past that he can achieve significant results.

"We followed Berrade's 2026 season with great interest: he raced at a high level throughout the year, putting in an excellent performance at the Vuelta a España where he came very close to securing the second stage victory of his career" revealed Vinokurov.

"He is a skilled climber who can help us fill one of the slots that have opened up within the team. We still need to fully assess his potential and see how he performs in different roles, but I believe he has all the credentials to become a solid professional at WorldTour level" stated confidently the GM of the Kazakh team who, at this point, is only missing one rider to officially finalize his roster for the upcoming season.