Movistar Team have signed a rider for the future in Mateo Ramirez, and his results already give fans plenty to get excited about. The 20-year-old Ecuadorian will leave the UAE Team Emirates – XRG development set-up to join the Spanish team in 2027, having signed a contract through to the end of 2029. Movistar have secured one of the standout under-23 climbers of the past few seasons, with plenty of room to develop over the next three years.
The arrival of the rider from Quito also carries particular significance for Latin American cycling. Ecuador has produced a generation capable of competing at the highest level, with Richard Carapaz, Jhonatan Narvaez and Jefferson Cepeda among its leading riders. Ramirez hopes to follow in their footsteps and will now have the chance to develop his career with a WorldTour team that has a long history of working with young talent.
Ramirez has already shown what he can do in the mountains, held his own against WorldTour riders and produced consistent results in some of the toughest races on the under-23 calendar. At Monte Livata in June, he was the closest rider to Lorenzo Finn on the Giro Next Gen’s key summit finish.
What Mateo Ramirez brings to Movistar in the mountains
Ramirez is a lightweight climber particularly well suited to long, demanding ascents. It is a strength he has built his reputation on since his early years and one that helped him stand out as a junior in Ecuador. In 2023 he won the junior national road race and time trial titles. He retained the road race title in 2024 and won the time trial at the Bolivarian Youth Games.
His progress in Europe confirmed the ability that had already attracted interest from several teams. Under-23 stage races gave Ramirez the chance to show how well he could handle hard days in succession. Endurance and recovery are both essential for a climber looking to make the step up to the professional ranks, and his performances in Italy and France over the past two seasons have given teams a clearer idea of what he can do.
At Movistar, he will be able to develop his climbing at the highest level. The Spanish team need to build more options in the mountains and bring through riders who can take on responsibility on the toughest stages. Ramirez will need time to adapt to the professional calendar. He will have the chance to learn from the team’s established riders and gain experience before taking on bigger goals of his own.
From Ecuador’s elite podium to the Giro Next Gen
Ramirez’s ability to compete for results against strong opposition is another reason Movistar can be confident in his signing. One of his first standout rides came at the 2025 Ecuadorian National Championships, when he was still an under-23 rider. He finished third in the elite road race behind Jhonatan Narvaez and Jefferson Cepeda. He was able to keep up with two riders already racing at the highest level and respond when they made their moves.
That ride helped put him on the radar of some of the biggest teams in the peloton. His mother, Ximena Torres, said INEOS and Movistar had both shown interest before he signed for UAE Team Emirates Gen Z. UAE’s offer won out, giving him the chance to continue his development in one of the best-resourced set-ups in cycling.
His results in 2025 and 2026 backed up that performance in Ecuador. Ramirez finished second overall at the Giro della Valle d’Aosta in both seasons, a run of consistency at one of the toughest races on the international under-23 calendar. He also won a stage there in 2026 and finished second overall at the Giro d’Italia Next Gen.
At the Tour de l’Avenir, Ramirez finished fourth overall behind Lorenzo Finn, Niels Driesen and Matteo Vanhuffel, missing the podium by four seconds. It was further evidence that he could compete with the best stage racers of his generation. An overall win at one of those major under-23 races eluded him, but his consistency across two seasons gives Movistar a young rider who already knows how to race for the general classification.
| Race | 2025 | 2026 |
| Giro della Valle d’Aosta | 2nd overall | 2nd overall and one stage win |
| Tour de l’Avenir | 6th overall | 4th overall |
| Giro d’Italia Next Gen | 2nd overall |
From UAE Team Emirates Gen Z to a three-year Movistar deal
The third reason to be excited about Ramirez is how much room he still has to improve. At 20, he will join Movistar after rising through the ranks in Ecuador, racing in Spain with Talavera de la Reina and taking another step forward with UAE Team Emirates Gen Z. He signed for UAE’s development team in May 2025 on a deal through to the end of 2026. The move recognised what he had already shown and gave him access to the resources of one of the most powerful teams in the peloton.
Ramirez had to make his own way into European cycling. Before the bigger teams came calling, he sought out an opportunity in Spain himself and secured a place with Talavera de la Reina, where he spent both his junior seasons. He then raced for High Level-Gsport-Grupo Tormo before stepping up to UAE’s development team. His move to Movistar takes him into the WorldTour.
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For Movistar, signing Ramirez is a significant move in the market for young riders. UAE have shown how good they are at identifying and developing prospects, and Ramirez was already progressing within their programme. By bringing him in now, Movistar have secured one of the standout riders on the 2026 under-23 calendar at the point when he is ready to step up.
The contract through to the end of 2029 gives Movistar three seasons to help him develop and turn his ability into results in the professional peloton. Time trialling is one area where he can still develop at WorldTour level, even with a junior national title and a Bolivarian Youth Games win against the clock.
For Spanish fans, his arrival brings a young rider with proven results who could give Movistar another option in the mountains over the next few seasons. For Latin American fans, especially those in Ecuador, it is a chance to see another rider from the region find a route to the highest level with one of Spain’s longest-established teams. Ramirez still has plenty to prove, but he arrives at Movistar as a climber who has already begun to turn his promise into results.
Javier RampeCycling Journalist
Javier Rampe is a sports analyst with more than 15 years of experience. He holds a degree in Economics from the University of Rome and a Diploma in Business Studies from the University of Cádiz. Despite coming from an academic background not particularly associated with cycling, his passion for both cycling and journalism was instilled in him from an early age. He grew up following Miguel Indurain and José María “El Chava” Jiménez. An admirer of Michael Robinson’s communication style and journalistic approach, he was inspired to pursue a degree in Journalism at the University of Buenos Aires, which he is currently completing.
He has always maintained close ties with the worlds of sport and culture, contributing from a young age to sports blogs and film and music review websites. His work has appeared in media outlets such as Cope, RAI, and Radio Con Vos. He is also the founder of the cycling-focused podcast El Contraanálisis and the football interview channel Días De Fútbol, dedicated to conversations with professional footballers.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Javier has interviewed some of the most influential figures in modern cycling, including Alejandro Valverde and Tadej Pogačar, as well as key voices in anti-doping policy such as Alberto Yelmo, David Varillas, and Marcelo Milano. Marcos Maynar, in relation to the ‘Operación Ílex’ case, is also among the personalities he has interviewed. He enjoys conducting in-depth analysis of the cycling ecosystem and has attended major events such as Strade Bianche, the Vuelta a Andalucía, and Itzulia, as well as numerous national cyclo-cross races.
His background in economics, combined with extensive experience in marketing and corporate communications, drives his continuous study of positioning strategies and ensures that he always keeps his focus on crafting compelling and evocative headlines.
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- Sounds like we all agree with the over under exaggeration: "The German’s signing does not guarantee that Evenepoel will win the Tour in 2027. "flyer14-11-2026
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