Santiago Buitrago will leave Bahrain Victorious at the end of the 2026 season to join NSN Cycling Team on a three-year contract running through to 2029.
The 26-year-old Colombian becomes NSN’s first new signing announced for 2027 and gives the team another established climbing and general classification option as it looks to broaden its ambitions beyond the sprinting and opportunistic racing which have shaped much of its 2026 programme.
Buitrago has spent his entire professional career with Bahrain Victorious, joining the team in 2020 and developing from a climbing prospect into a rider capable of winning at WorldTour and Grand Tour level. His record already includes two Giro d’Italia stage wins, a Paris-Nice stage victory and top-10 finishes at both the Tour de France and Vuelta a España.
The move was confirmed by NSN Cycling Team on 10 August.
Photo Credit: GettyBuitrago gives NSN a genuine GC option
The signing represents a noticeable change in the balance of NSN’s roster.
The team’s 2026 Tour de France squad was built primarily around Biniam Girmay, reduced sprints and stage opportunities, while riders such as Krists Neilands and Jake Stewart provided further routes into individual stages.
Buitrago gives NSN something different. He arrives as a rider with proven Grand Tour climbing quality and a realistic claim to leadership opportunities in his own right.
General Manager Kjell Carlström described the Colombian as an important addition to the team’s longer-term sporting project.
“Despite a career already spanning seven years, at just 26-years-old, Santiago has a long career ahead of him and room for continued growth as a rider,” Carlström said.
“Beyond his own leadership opportunities, Buitrago’s climbing ability and experience will give NSN Cycling Team greater tactical flexibility across the WorldTour calendar.”
That is the key part of the deal. NSN are not simply adding another strong climber to support an existing leader. They are signing someone who can change how the team approaches week-long stage races and Grand Tours.
Buitrago already has a substantial Grand Tour record
Buitrago’s results have steadily moved him towards that role.
He won mountain stages at the Giro d’Italia in both 2022 and 2023 before being given greater GC responsibility by Bahrain Victorious. ProCyclingUK covered that progression when Buitrago was named Bahrain’s Tour de France leader in 2024, having already finished 10th at the previous year’s Vuelta a España.
He has remained one of Bahrain’s most important climbing options since. Ahead of this year’s Giro, our 2026 Giro d’Italia contenders guide again placed Buitrago among the team’s main GC cards alongside Damiano Caruso.
His best days have often come when races become difficult to control. Buitrago can follow sustained climbing efforts but also has enough attacking ability to turn mountain stages into opportunities rather than simply riding defensively for GC.
That versatility should be particularly useful to NSN.
A new challenge after seven years with Bahrain Victorious
Buitrago said the decision to leave Bahrain was driven by a desire to move outside the only professional environment he has known.
“After seven years in Bahrain – Victorious, I felt it was the right time for a new challenge,” he said.
“I experienced some very important moments there, growing as a cyclist and as a person, but I also wanted to step outside my comfort zone and find a different environment that would help me continue to evolve.”
He said NSN’s sporting project and the confidence shown in him during negotiations helped convince him to make the move.
“I still feel I have a lot of room to grow, so in the next three years, I want to keep taking steps forward and become an increasingly complete and consistent rider,” Buitrago said.
“My main goal will be to remain competitive in stage races and continue to develop in the Grand Tours.”
GC leadership will be part of the plan
Buitrago also made clear that he expects opportunities to race for the overall classification when the programme allows.
“I would like to fight for the GC when I have the opportunity and also help the team achieve the best possible results,” he said.
That dual role should suit NSN particularly well.
Buitrago is strong enough to lead at selected WorldTour stage races and Grand Tours, but his climbing ability also makes him valuable when another rider is protected. At 26, NSN will also believe there is still scope for him to become more consistent across three weeks rather than simply adding more individual mountain results.
His performances in races such as the 2026 Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes have continued to underline that stage-racing profile, with Bahrain repeatedly using him as one of its main GC options.
The next step is turning that level into more frequent high overall finishes.
NSN continue reshaping the team around different race objectives
Buitrago’s arrival also fits into the wider transformation of NSN Cycling Team.
The structure entered the 2026 season with a new identity, Swiss licence and Spanish base after the end of the Israel-Premier Tech era. ProCyclingUK covered the transition when NSN Cycling Team was formally launched.
The first major statement signing of that project was Biniam Girmay on a three-year deal, giving NSN a rider around whom to build its sprint and Classics ambitions.
Buitrago now strengthens the opposite end of the roster.
Girmay gives the team a headline option on faster and selective one-day terrain. Buitrago gives it a proven climber capable of targeting stage-race GC.
That makes NSN considerably less one-dimensional going into 2027.
Buitrago is first external arrival announced for 2027
Buitrago is the first new rider NSN have announced from outside the existing structure for the 2027 season.
He joins Jens Verbrugghe, who has already earned promotion from the NSN Development Team. The Belgian signed a two-year WorldTour contract covering 2027 and 2028, with ProCyclingUK reporting the move in June when Verbrugghe’s step up to the senior team was confirmed.
The contrast between the two moves is useful.
Verbrugghe represents NSN’s development pathway. Buitrago arrives as an established WorldTour rider expected to improve the team’s biggest-race ambitions immediately.
For Buitrago, it marks the end of a seven-season spell with Bahrain Victorious and the first team change of his professional career.
For NSN, it is a clear investment in becoming a more serious general classification team from 2027.
