Urko Berrade will make his WorldTour debut with XDS Astana in 2027 after leaving Equipo Kern Pharma, the Spanish squad where he has spent almost his entire professional career. The 28-year-old has earned the move with a second strong Vuelta a España, finishing 19th overall in 2026 and recording three top-five stage results in the mountains.
XDS Astana has announced Berrade’s arrival after reports of an agreement emerged in the Spanish press in October. Those reports put the contract at two seasons, covering 2027 and 2028, although the team’s announcement page was not directly accessible during our research.
Three mountain-stage top fives at the 2026 Vuelta
Berrade’s most convincing argument for a WorldTour place came in September. Riding for Kern Pharma at La Vuelta, he finished second on the twelfth stage to the Calar Alto observatory, behind Jakob Omrzel. He returned to the front in the final week, placing fourth on Peñas Blancas on stage 19 and fifth at the Collado del Alguacil on stage 20.
Those performances came against established Grand Tour riders and helped him finish 19th in the final general classification. He was also twelfth in the mountains classification, having regularly looked for opportunities in the breakaways rather than riding solely to defend a position overall.
The results were consistent with a season in which he finished fourth overall at the Giro di Sardegna, eighth at the Route d’Occitanie and third in the Spanish national road race championship. They illustrate why XDS Astana sees value in a rider who can survive difficult climbing days and compete for results when a Grand Tour breaks apart.
From the 2024 Vuelta stage win to the WorldTour
The biggest victory of Berrade’s career remains stage 18 of the 2024 Vuelta a España. On the road from Vitoria-Gasteiz to Maeztu, he attacked from the breakaway in the closing kilometres to claim Kern Pharma’s third stage win of that edition, following Pablo Castrillo’s double.
It was an important result for a rider who had developed patiently within the Navarra-based organisation. After beginning his professional career with Euskadi-Murias in 2019, Berrade joined Kern Pharma in 2020 and remained through its rise into an established presence at ProTeam level.
Rather than moving immediately after his first Grand Tour victory, he stayed for another two seasons. His performances at the 2026 Vuelta suggest he can provide more than the occasional breakaway appearance, particularly on mountainous terrain where his climbing and ability to judge an attack are most valuable.
XDS Astana adds another stage-racing option for 2027
For XDS Astana, the signing brings an experienced Grand Tour stage winner into its WorldTour roster. Berrade will have a more demanding race calendar but also more consistent access to the biggest races than he enjoyed with Kern Pharma.
The Kazakh-registered team has been reshaping its 2027 line-up, including the arrival of Andrea Bagioli from Lidl-Trek, while Davide Toneatti has extended his contract through 2028. Berrade offers a different skill set, combining the experience of racing for stage victories in a Grand Tour with the consistency to finish inside the top 20 overall.
