Lorenzo Milesi will leave Movistar Team at the end of the 2026 season to join Soudal Quick-Step on a three-year contract running through to the end of 2029.
The 24-year-old Italian, a former under-23 world time trial champion, will begin a new chapter after three seasons with Movistar and gives Soudal Quick-Step another young rider capable of contributing well beyond his obvious strength against the clock.
Milesi has already started four Grand Tours and recorded three top-10 finishes at this year’s Giro d’Italia, including two from breakaways and another in the race’s only individual time trial. He remains without a professional victory, but Soudal Quick-Step believe his combination of time trialling, climbing ability and power makes him a rider with considerably more development still to come.
The move was confirmed by Soudal Quick-Step on 10 August.
Quick-Step see more than a time trial specialist
Milesi’s reputation was initially built against the clock.
He won the under-23 individual time trial world title in Stirling in 2023, producing the result which pushed him firmly onto the radar at WorldTour level. Before that, his under-23 career had also included stage victories at the Triptyque des Monts et Châteaux and Tour de l’Avenir.
That time trialling ability remains an obvious part of his value, but Soudal Quick-Step CEO Jürgen Foré stressed that the team does not view Milesi as a specialist with only one route to results.
“We’ve known Lorenzo for some time now and are well aware of what he is capable of,” Foré said.
“He is much more than just a time trialist, and it’s this impressive range of skills, together with the determination he has shown so far in his career, that convinced us he could be a perfect fit for our team.”
Milesi sees his development in similar terms.
“I love time trials, but I also do well on short climbs, and I hope to improve in both areas next season,” he said.
That broader skill set has already been visible at WorldTour level. At this year’s Giro, Milesi was not simply waiting for the race against the clock. He repeatedly went looking for opportunities from the breakaway and was involved when Movistar helped make Stage 4 unexpectedly selective, with Milesi and Iván García Cortina driving a hard pace on the Cozzo Tunno climb.
Three top-10 finishes at the Giro underline his progression
The 2026 Giro provided some of the clearest evidence yet of Milesi becoming a more complete rider.
He recorded three top-10 stage finishes, two after getting into breakaways at Potenza and Fermo and another in the individual time trial at Massa.
Milesi was part of the strong 13-rider move which shaped Stage 5 to Potenza, showing again that his value increasingly extends into difficult road stages rather than being confined to time trials.
Later in the Giro he continued trying to get into decisive moves, including during Stage 17 to Andalo as the fight to establish the break became particularly aggressive.
Those results did not deliver the first professional victory he is still chasing, but they showed why Soudal Quick-Step see a rider who can be developed in several directions.
Milesi already had a connection with Quick-Step
The transfer also carries a personal connection for Milesi.
“When I began cycling, this team was one of my favourites, so you can imagine my joy at the prospect of wearing this jersey from next year, especially after having joined the squad for a training camp during my junior days,” he said.
“It was quite an easy decision for me to make.”
That earlier experience means Soudal Quick-Step’s knowledge of Milesi predates his WorldTour career.
He turned professional with Team dsm-firmenich before moving to Movistar for 2024. ProCyclingUK covered that first major transfer when Milesi was released to make the switch from dsm-firmenich to Movistar.
His arrival formed part of a wider refresh at Movistar, with Milesi among the new names included when the team presented its 2024 roster.
Three seasons later, he is moving again.
Milesi wants his own results as well as a team role
The Italian made clear that he is not joining Soudal Quick-Step solely to work for other riders.
“I want to be there for the team, help it win whenever it needs me and show what I’m capable of, while also going for some nice personal results when I get the opportunity,” Milesi said.
That balance should suit the team.
His engine makes him useful for controlling stages, protecting leaders and working on flatter terrain, while his ability over shorter climbs gives him options in breakaways and more selective one-day races.
He has also accumulated a considerable amount of Grand Tour experience for a 24-year-old, already starting four three-week races.
Soudal Quick-Step can therefore use him immediately while still treating the next three seasons as a development project.
First professional win remains the obvious next step
For all Milesi has already achieved, the missing result remains a professional victory.
He has repeatedly gone close since stepping into the WorldTour, and the 2026 Giro added another collection of top-10 finishes without delivering the breakthrough.
The signs are there.
His world under-23 time trial title established his outright power. His Giro breakaways have demonstrated the ability to use that strength tactically. He has also shown he can contribute when races become harder, rather than disappearing as soon as the road begins climbing.
Soudal Quick-Step’s task is to turn those ingredients into victories.
Foré believes there is still considerable room for improvement.
“Lorenzo is still young and has plenty of room to develop, and we believe our environment can help him take another step forward,” he said.
“We’re looking forward to working with him and hopefully creating some beautiful memories together over the next three seasons.”
Milesi leaves Movistar after three seasons
The move will end Milesi’s three-year spell with Movistar.
His time with the Spanish team has given him further Grand Tour experience and a larger role across several types of racing, while reinforcing the impression that his strongest future may be as a versatile rouleur rather than a rider defined exclusively by time trials.
That versatility was also evident during the spring, when he was part of Movistar’s squad for races such as the Ronde van Brugge – Tour of Bruges, where his presence gave the team another option beyond its faster finishers.
Soudal Quick-Step should be able to use the same range of abilities in an even broader programme.
Milesi joins from 2027 on a deal through to 2029, giving both rider and team enough time to find out how far his development can go.
The under-23 world time trial title made his name.
The next three seasons will be about becoming much more than the rider who won it.
