
XDS Astana Team have selected their team for the Tour de France. After a successful Giro d'Italia in which the Kazakh team won three stages with three different riders, they now aim for similar at the Tour de France. A stage win would already come as a success likely, taking into consideration the different level in competition and also the notable absences in the lineup.
The team is starting the Tour with two main groups consisting of four riders. One is set to be aiming for breakaways exclusively featuring Sergio Higuita, Simone Velasco and Nicolas Vinokourov who should be aiming more towards the hilly days.
Harold Tejada is also present and is an option also for the mountainous days, although the Colombian rider may also attempt to go for the overall classification after he has shown on several instances to be a quality stage-racer.
Then there is a second block to the team featuring Max Kanter as the head sprinter; whilst Davide Ballerini may also be an option for sprints in a few hilly days but above all breakaways that are fit for the classics specialists. There will likely be a strong leadout for the German sprinter consisting of Ballerini but also former yellow jersey Mike Teunissen and Kiwi Aaron Gate.
No Fortunato or Rodríguez
The team has a few absences that come as very noteworthy. The first is Lorenzo Fortunato, who hoped to have been selected for the Giro d'Italia but was instead scheduled to race the Tour. The Grand Depart is days away and now there is the confirmation he will also not be present in Barcelona. The Italian did not finish the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and it may be the effect of an illness.
But Cristián Rodríguez is a very notable absence. The Spaniard was on tremendous form in Auvergne and rode to eighth in the overall classification, finishing fifth on the queen stage up to the Plateau de Solaison on the final day. The 31-year old is set to race at the Tour of Magnificent Qinghai instead in July and then set his sights on the Vuelta a España.

Despite not being selected to the Giro d'Italia, Lorenzo Fortunato was also not chosen to race the Tour
Read also
XDS Astana Team for 2026 Tour de France
| Riders |
| Davide Ballerini |
| Aaron Gate |
| Sergio Higuita |
| Max Kanter |
| Harold Tejada |
| Mike Teunissen |
| Simone Velasco |
| Nicolas Vinokourov |

Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
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- I'm picking .... .... Never mind 🫥flyer07-11-2026
- If Tiberi has a better and more consistent 2027 I somehow doubt it will be because of this victorious warning. Unless his preparation has been off, cycling isn't football.flyer07-11-2026
- Love this guy. He is such a pure racer.mij07-11-2026
- Fair enough. Everyone’s entitled to one and I respect yours! Nothing wrong with being a one week and GT guy if that’s his vibemij07-11-2026
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- Surely the UCI and the race organisers have a responsibility to ensure the best medical care is available to riders when incidents like this happen. All very well pushing for global expansion but not so good if riders lives are put at risk because medical support is not up to scratch.Andy12306-11-2026
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