Iván Ramiro Sosa will return to the UCI WorldTour with EF Education–EasyPost in 2027, leaving Equipo Kern Pharma after two seasons with the Spanish ProTeam. The 28-year-old Colombian climber has rebuilt his results during 2026, winning a mountain stage at the Tour of Türkiye and finishing fourth on a demanding stage of the Vuelta a España.
The move comes as EF reshape their climbing squad following Richard Carapaz’s departure to NSN Cycling. Sosa joins fellow new arrivals Tao Geoghegan Hart and Emil Herzog, giving the American team another rider capable of competing on difficult mountain terrain.
For Sosa, the transfer represents an opportunity to re-establish himself at WorldTour level after an earlier career that promised considerably more than his results in recent seasons suggested.
A former winner of the Vuelta a Burgos, Tour de la Provence and Tour de Langkawi, he previously spent six seasons in the WorldTour with Team Sky/INEOS Grenadiers and Movistar.
Tour of Türkiye victory marks return to winning form
Sosa’s strongest performance of the 2026 season came during April’s Tour of Türkiye, where he won the mountainous third stage from Marmaris to Kıran.
The 132.7-kilometre stage finished with a long climb that suited the Colombian’s strengths. Sosa attacked during the decisive part of the ascent, distancing his rivals and reaching the finish nine seconds ahead of Australian Sebastian Berwick.
Nicolas Breuillard finished third at 15 seconds, while several other general classification contenders lost considerably more time.
The victory gave Sosa the race lead and was his first professional win since the 2022 Tour de Langkawi.
Although he eventually finished second overall, the result provided evidence that he could again compete for victories in demanding stage races.
He continued that progress during the season, finishing second at the Mercan’Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes and runner-up at the Colombian national road race championship.
The performances suggested that the climbing ability which first brought him into the WorldTour was still present, even if he had struggled to reproduce it consistently during his final seasons with Movistar.
His return to the Vuelta a España in August provided another opportunity to test that form against the sport’s strongest riders.
Sosa fourth on Sierra de La Pandera at the Vuelta
Sosa made his most notable contribution to the 2026 Vuelta a España on stage 14, which finished on the demanding slopes of Sierra de La Pandera.
The Colombian joined a large breakaway that eventually contained 44 riders, with several major teams represented among the attackers.
As the group fragmented on the final climbs, Sosa remained among the contenders for the stage victory.
Marco Brenner eventually won for Tudor Pro Cycling Team, beating Santiago Buitrago by one second after the pair fought out the finish.
Cristián Rodríguez took third at 11 seconds, with Sosa crossing the line fourth, 14 seconds behind the winner.
ProCyclingUK’s stage 14 race report detailed how Sosa remained competitive as the leading riders repeatedly attacked one another on the final ascent.
It was a valuable performance for a rider whose best results have traditionally come on sustained mountain climbs.
Sosa also showed himself in breakaways earlier in the race, including the mountainous seventh stage to Aramón Valdelinares.
Although he did not secure a Vuelta stage victory, his performances demonstrated that he could again compete deep into difficult mountain stages against established WorldTour opposition.
That ability could prove particularly useful to EF Education–EasyPost, whose racing approach has often prioritised attacking from breakaways rather than waiting for a general classification battle to develop.
Former Burgos winner returns to the WorldTour
Sosa was considered one of Colombia’s most promising climbing talents during his early professional career.
After beginning with Androni Giocattoli–Sidermec, he enjoyed a remarkable 2018 campaign, winning the Adriatica Ionica Race, Sibiu Cycling Tour and Vuelta a Burgos.
His victory in Burgos was particularly important, establishing him as a rider capable of winning a difficult stage race against experienced professional opposition.
He joined Team Sky for 2019 and immediately continued that development.
During his first season with the British team, Sosa won a stage of the Route d’Occitanie before successfully defending his Vuelta a Burgos title.
At Burgos, he won the third and fifth stages, beating a field that included Oscar Rodríguez and Richard Carapaz.
His results appeared to establish him as a potential future Grand Tour contender, although subsequent seasons proved more difficult.
Sosa continued to win important races, including the 2021 Tour de la Provence, where he claimed the overall classification after winning the mountainous third stage.
However, opportunities to establish himself as a consistent Grand Tour leader remained limited.
He moved to Movistar for 2022, starting strongly with overall victory at the Vuelta a Asturias and another general classification success at the Tour de Langkawi.
Those results demonstrated his ability to win week-long races, but he struggled to maintain that level during the following two seasons.
By the end of 2024, Sosa had lost his place in Movistar’s WorldTour roster.
His move to Kern Pharma for 2025 gave him the opportunity to rebuild his career with a smaller team, where he could once again target races suited to his climbing strengths.
EF strengthen climbing options after Carapaz departure
Sosa’s arrival comes during a substantial restructuring of EF Education–EasyPost’s 2027 squad.
The most significant departure is Richard Carapaz, who has signed a three-year agreement with NSN Cycling.
The Ecuadorian leaves after four seasons with EF, having established himself as one of the team’s principal Grand Tour leaders.
His departure creates opportunities for other riders, but replacing his contribution will require more than one signing.
EF have already recruited Tao Geoghegan Hart from Lidl-Trek.
The British rider won the 2020 Giro d’Italia but has struggled to recover his previous form since suffering serious injuries at the 2023 Giro.
Sosa’s situation has similarities. Both riders enjoyed major successes earlier in their careers before experiencing several difficult seasons, and both arrive at EF hoping to rediscover the form that made them attractive to WorldTour teams.
However, their immediate roles need not be identical.
Geoghegan Hart brings experience of winning a Grand Tour, while Sosa has a record built primarily around mountainous stage races and summit finishes.
EF have also signed Emil Herzog from Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe, adding a younger rider whose strongest recent results have come in selective one-day races.
Together, the additions provide different options as the American team prepares for life without Carapaz and Georg Steinhauser, who is also leaving.
Kern Pharma departures continue ahead of uncertain 2027
Sosa’s transfer is another departure from Equipo Kern Pharma, whose future has been affected by the withdrawal of its principal sponsor at the end of 2026.
The Spanish ProTeam have played an important role in developing riders for the WorldTour, with several members of their current squad securing contracts elsewhere.
Iván Cobo and Diego Uriarte have already agreed moves to Movistar, while Ibon Ruiz will join Bahrain Victorious.
The UCI’s preliminary registration documentation for 2027 did not include Kern Pharma among the named ProTeam applicants, adding to uncertainty surrounding the organisation.
That situation has made the transfer market especially important for its riders.
For Sosa, however, the new contract is also a reward for improved performances rather than simply a consequence of his team’s uncertain future.
His Tour of Türkiye victory and Vuelta results provided the evidence that he could still influence major races on difficult climbs.
What Sosa can offer EF in 2027
Sosa’s strongest qualities have traditionally emerged on long climbs, where his ability to maintain a high pace and accelerate on steep gradients can separate him from less specialised riders.
Those characteristics make him useful in mountainous stage races and as an attacking option during Grand Tours.
At EF, he could receive opportunities to target individual mountain stages while also providing support to the team’s established general classification riders.
The precise division of responsibilities will depend on the race programme and the form of riders including Geoghegan Hart, Ben Healy and the team’s other climbing options.
There is no guarantee that Sosa will immediately return to the level he demonstrated during his early years with INEOS.
Nevertheless, his 2026 season offers reasons for optimism.
After spending two years rebuilding his career with Kern Pharma, he has won again, returned to the Vuelta a España and shown that he can compete against strong opposition in the mountains.
EF will now have the opportunity to build on that progress when he returns to the WorldTour in 2027.
