Harold Tejada will join Netcompany INEOS from XDS Astana in 2027, with the team confirming the transfer in its official announcement. The Colombian gives the British WorldTour team another proven climber for the mountains and major stage races. The 29-year-old Colombian has enjoyed his strongest season to date, combining a WorldTour stage victory with competitive performances in the general classification.
Tejada finished fourth overall at the UAE Tour, then won stage six of Paris–Nice in March and eventually placed tenth at the Vuelta a España. He also came close to a Tour de France stage victory, finishing second to Mauro Schmid after the pair escaped on stage 13 in Belfort. It was a season that demonstrated both his ability to race for results and his strength across repeated days of climbing.
Another experienced climber for the INEOS mountain group
Tejada has raced with Astana since stepping up to the WorldTour in 2020. His development has made him more than a domestique: he is capable of riding deep into the mountains alongside established general classification contenders, while his willingness to attack has increasingly given him opportunities of his own.
His tenth place at the 2026 Vuelta a España also offers a useful measure of his three-week consistency. For Netcompany INEOS, the signing provides greater flexibility when supporting its Grand Tour leaders, particularly on stages where the strongest teams can use several riders late into a mountain finish.
Geraint Thomas, the team’s director of racing, highlighted that role in announcing the move. “He adds depth to our climbing group and gives us more options in the mountains,” Thomas said. The team sees Tejada as an experienced rider who can contribute immediately rather than a long-term development project.
Tejada described himself as “very excited about this new chapter” and said he had admired the team’s leading riders since his early years in cycling, including Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and fellow Colombian Egan Bernal. He will now have the opportunity to work within the set-up he followed as a young rider, with his own 2026 performances providing a strong basis for the move.
