Astana tie up in-form Vuelta breakout rider on a two-year contract extension
CyclingFriday, 11 September 2026 at 06:00
XDS Astana Team have found quite the success at the 2026 Vuelta a Espana. While Harold Tejada and Cristian Rodríguez both feature in the general classification battle, Alessandro Romele stepped into the spotlight in bunch sprints, securing four top-5 results, including a second place in Córdoba.
The 23-year-old Italian certainly did not feature among the expected sprint contenders, but his performances built him a strong reputation as well as generating interest from other teams as Romele's contract was due to run out at the end of this season.
However the Kazakh team's management acted fast to announce a contract extension for Romele who will stay with XDS Astana through at least 2028, aiming to carry on this momentum in races to come.
"Together with the team, we agreed to extend my contract for another two years, and I believe it was the best decision for me. I have already had many great moments during my three years in this project: I spent my first season with the Development team and then moved up to the WorldTour," Romele outlined his path to Vuelta debut in a press release.
"I can keep improving"
"I feel that I am improving year after year, and this Vuelta is proof of that. I hope that together we can achieve much more in the coming seasons."
Romele's talent did not take long to blossom in Italian academy Colpack and was swiftly picked up by Astana's development project in 2024 where he impressed enough to earn a quick WorldTour promotion the next year.
The 2025 season got on rails quickly for Romele with a series of good results at the cobbled semi-classics (8th at Samyn Classic, 17th at GP de Denain, and 10th at Bredene Koksijde Classic), but the reason of his debut WorldTour season was derailed by injuries which kept the young Italian from displaying his full potential.
Breaking point at the Italian Championships
On his second year with Astana, Romele got off to a quick start with a 5th place in the opening stage of UAE Tour, but then kept a relatively low profile until the Italian Championships where he finished third in a sprint behind Jonathan Milan and Tommaso Dati, only to repeat this result one month later in a sprint finish at Tour de Pologne
Still, these individual results did not put Romele forward as a name to follow at the Vuelta, although XDS Astana team manager Alexandre Vinokourov points out that Romele's rise did not come out of blue:
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"Alessandro’s current results at La Vuelta are not a surprise to us. We know his potential and we know how he works, so we expected his results to start improving at some point."
"His first Grand Tour is indeed going at a very high level, but we understand that there is still a lot of work ahead. I am happy that we share the same vision of cycling and of how a rider’s career should develop. So, we quickly agreed on the contract extension, allowing us to calmly finish this year and start preparing for the new season with new goals," he concludes.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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Rafionain-Glas10-09-2026 - Chapeau to Mas for an amazing ride! Yes, if Pog were here he’d be ahead by 20 minutes now, but he’s not.Crashjames10-09-2026
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