Movistar Team have signed 20-year-old Slovakian Sofia Ungerová on a contract through to the end of 2029, continuing the Spanish Women’s WorldTeam’s investment in riders at the beginning of their professional careers.
Ungerová will step up from Polish Continental squad MAT Atom Deweloper Wrocław, where she has spent the 2025 and 2026 seasons. Her arrival gives Movistar another rider born in 2006 alongside Cat Ferguson, while the length of the deal gives both team and rider three seasons to develop at WorldTour level rather than expecting immediate results.
Movistar described Ungerová as “one of Europe’s most promising young cyclists” when announcing the transfer, pointing to the victories and podium finishes she has already collected on the international calendar.
The Slovakian has made a significant step forward during 2026. She won the final stage of Gracia in the Czech Republic, finished third overall in the race and then repeated that GC position at the Tour de Feminin later in May. She also finished eighth at the 1.Pro LOTTO Thüringen Women Cycling Challenge and second at the Respect Ladies Race Slovakia during the summer.
Gracia victory underlined Ungerová’s progress
Ungerová’s development became particularly clear during Gracia at the end of April and beginning of May.
She opened the race with third place on the road to Štramberk, finished fifth on the climbing stage to Pustevny and was fifth again in the 13.5km individual time trial. Those performances kept her firmly in the general classification battle before she won the final 101.6km stage into Orlová from the reduced group.
She finished the race third overall, 27 seconds behind winner Jasmin Liechti, while also taking second in both the points and young rider classifications and third in the mountains competition. The spread of those results helps explain Movistar’s interest. Ungerová has shown enough speed to finish races, but her stronger performances have not been confined to straightforward sprints.
Two weeks later she finished third overall at the Tour de Feminin, adding third place on the second stage and finishing second in the youth classification. It was a useful confirmation that Gracia had not been an isolated result, particularly as both races contained enough climbing and stage variation to test more than pure finishing speed.
Results at a higher level have followed in 2026
The next part of Ungerová’s development has been showing that the same qualities can translate into stronger fields.
Her 15th place at De Brabantse Pijl in April was an early indication, while eighth at the LOTTO Thüringen Women Cycling Challenge in June came in a 1.Pro field containing WorldTour riders. The German race also saw Ungerová finish as the best young rider.
She followed that with third in the Slovakian road championship and then second at the Respect Ladies Race Slovakia in July. At the Tour de Pologne Women later that month, Ungerová finished eighth on the opening stage before completing the race 30th overall, giving her further exposure to a 2.Pro field containing several Women’s WorldTour teams.
Those results remain some distance from WorldTour leadership level, but that is not what Movistar are signing her for in 2027. Ungerová is moving at 20 with a substantial amount of development still available, and the three-year contract suggests the team are prepared to give her time to make that transition.
Cyclo-cross adds another part to Ungerová’s profile
Road racing is only one part of Ungerová’s background.
She has also competed extensively in cyclo-cross since her junior years, racing European and World Cup events before continuing into the elite and under-23 ranks. During the 2025-26 winter she finished second in the Slovakian cyclo-cross championship and recorded podium results in UCI races in Poland.
That experience gives Movistar another rider comfortable moving between disciplines. The team already know the value of that development route through Ferguson, whose junior career combined road, track and cyclo-cross before she moved into the senior WorldTour squad.
Ungerová’s road results suggest a different profile from Ferguson, with her strongest performances so far coming through consistency across hilly stage races rather than the repeated one-day victories that marked the British rider’s junior career. The common factor is that Movistar are willing to recruit young riders before their senior characteristics are completely fixed.
Another long-term signing for Movistar
Ungerová fits an increasingly clear recruitment pattern within Movistar’s women’s squad.
The team have already secured Swiss rider Ginia Caluori for 2027 and 2028, another signing based on development potential rather than an established WorldTour palmarès. Ferguson joined the professional squad at 18 after first appearing as a stagiaire, while Carys Lloyd also signed a three-year agreement when moving directly from the junior ranks.
That approach gives Movistar a young core capable of developing alongside the more established riders already under long-term contracts. Tota Magalhães is signed through 2029, while Sara Martín and several other members of the squad have also received multi-year commitments.
Ungerová’s deal takes her through her 23-year-old season.
For a rider who only turned 20 in June, that gives considerable room for the normal progression from Continental racing into the demands of a Women’s WorldTour programme. The immediate task will be learning to handle longer races, deeper fields and the repeated intensity of a calendar where opportunities are harder to create.
Her 2026 season has provided enough evidence for Movistar to make that investment now rather than wait another year.
From 2027, Ungerová gets the opportunity to find out how far that progression can go.
