Sergio Higuita will leave XDS Astana Team at the end of the 2026 season and join Caja Rural-Seguros RGA on a two-year contract, keeping the Colombian with the Spanish ProTeam through 2028.
The 29-year-old gives Caja Rural a proven stage-race and one-day option after eight seasons at WorldTour level with EF Education-EasyPost, Bora-hansgrohe and XDS Astana Team. He has won the Volta a Catalunya, stages of the Vuelta a España, Tour de Romandie and Itzulia Basque Country, while his 2026 campaign has included ninth overall at the Tour de Suisse.
Moving to ProTeam level should also change the opportunities available to Higuita. Rather than operating as one of several climbing options within a WorldTour roster, he joins a Caja Rural squad where he can take more responsibility in week-long stage races and hilly one-day events.
The transfer becomes one of the most notable additions to Caja Rural’s developing roster and follows the decision to retain fellow Colombian Fernando Gaviria for the 2027 season.
Higuita looking for leadership opportunities at Caja Rural
Higuita explained that Caja Rural’s willingness to race aggressively against WorldTour teams was part of the attraction.
“I’m joining a team with a lot of history that has continued growing year after year,” he said. “The team is becoming stronger, has had a great year and races against the best WorldTour teams without fear.”
That approach fits a rider whose strongest performances have usually come when he has been allowed to race proactively rather than simply follow a general classification hierarchy.
Higuita won the 2022 Volta a Catalunya after a close battle with Richard Carapaz, while his 2019 Vuelta stage victory at Becerril de la Sierra came after spending much of the day on the attack. His acceleration also gives him options beyond traditional mountain finishes, particularly when a selective race reaches the line with a reduced group.
He sees stage races and one-day events as the areas where he can again become a regular leader.
“My best results have come in one-week races and one-day Classics,” Higuita said. “I want to target those races again. When I’m going well, I like being an aggressive rider who attacks from far out and isn’t afraid.”
That should give Caja Rural another way of approaching the bigger races on its calendar. The team already has riders capable of chasing breakaways and sprints, but Higuita brings a level of climbing and stage-race experience that has largely been developed at WorldTour level.
Tour de Suisse result showed Higuita can still compete for GC
Higuita’s 2026 season has not produced a victory, but ninth overall at the Tour de Suisse showed he remains capable of putting together a competitive general classification performance against WorldTour opposition.
The shortened five-stage race provided little room to recover from a bad day, combining repeated hilly racing, an individual time trial and the final mountain stage around Villars-sur-Ollon. Higuita stayed close enough across the week to secure a top-10 overall finish.
ProCyclingUK’s Tour de Suisse 2026 team-by-team guide identified Higuita as one of XDS Astana’s climbing options, while the result eventually became his strongest stage-race GC finish of the season.
His racing profile remains particularly useful for a ProTeam. Higuita can contest general classifications when the time-trial mileage is limited, target individual climbing stages and still carry enough finishing speed to compete from small groups.
That versatility gives Caja Rural more than another rider for mountain domestique duties.
A different role after two seasons with XDS Astana
Higuita joined XDS Astana after leaving Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and has spent the past two seasons working within a roster containing several other climbing and stage-race options.
His role has consequently varied depending on the race.
At this month’s GP Montréal, for example, Higuita lined up alongside Alberto Bettiol and Harold Martín López as one of the team’s options for a race containing more than 4,000 metres of climbing. ProCyclingUK’s GP Montréal team-by-team guide highlighted his ability to survive deeper into a hard race if the repeated climbs removed some of the faster riders.
Caja Rural can offer something more consistent.
At 29, Higuita is still young enough to target results himself but has accumulated four Tour de France appearances and four starts at the Vuelta a España. That experience is likely to make him one of the reference points within a squad where many riders are still building experience at the highest level.
Higuita believes that is another area where he can contribute.
“I already have a lot of experience in European cycling, so I think I can bring confidence and calm,” he said. “When there’s a chance to win or be close, I’ve often known how to keep a cool head.”
He also spoke about helping younger teammates deal with pressure while bringing the more relaxed atmosphere he associates with Colombian cycling.
Caja Rural continue strengthening their roster
The signing continues an active period for Caja Rural-Seguros RGA as the team looks to increase its ability to compete when invited to WorldTour races.
Gaviria joined for 2026 and has already agreed to remain for another season, while Higuita now brings another internationally recognised Colombian rider into the squad.
The two offer very different strengths. Gaviria remains focused primarily on sprint opportunities, whereas Higuita gives the team a leader for mountainous stage races, selective Classics and breakaways where climbing strength is required.
Their presence also gives Caja Rural substantially more experience around younger riders.
The team’s progression can be followed throughout the winter in ProCyclingUK’s Men’s Cycling Transfers Hub, which tracks confirmed signings, contract extensions and retirements ahead of the 2027 season.
Higuita wants to attack again
There is a sense from Higuita’s comments that the move is about more than simply extending his career for another two years.
He wants races where he can take responsibility and make decisions for himself.
That has often been when Higuita has been at his most effective. His best results have come from a combination of climbing ability, acceleration and a willingness to race before the final kilometres rather than waiting for a conventional mountain finish.
Caja Rural should be able to give him that freedom more often.
“I’m really motivated,” Higuita said. “It’s a project where I want to give everything I can.”
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Photo Credit: Getty
After two seasons at XDS Astana, the move gives Higuita a different place within the peloton. He is dropping from WorldTour to ProTeam level, but doing so with the expectation of becoming one of his new team’s principal leaders rather than simply taking another supporting role.
