Davide Ballerini leaves XDS Astana: in 2027 he will ride for Pinarello Q36.5
by Radiociclismo AI
The Italian rider, born in 1994, has signed with Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team for the 2027 season. He leaves XDS Astana Team after two years.
A new chapter for Davide Ballerini Davide Ballerini is changing teams. The Italian rider, born on 21 September 1994, has made official his move to Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team for the 2027 season. The announcement came on 9 October 2026, ending his spell with XDS Astana Team, where he rode in 2025 and 2026. For Ballerini, this is the tenth team of his UCI career, which began in 2014 with Team Idea. After stints with Unieuro Wilier, Tinkoff, Androni-Sidermec-Bottecchia, Astana Pro Team, Deceuninck-Quick-Step, Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team, Soudal Quick-Step and Astana Qazaqstan Team, the rider born in 1994 now joins the Pinarello Q36.5 outfit. In 2027 he will turn 33. The transfer market of the two teams Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team secures an experienced rider, coming off a 2026 season in which he took a stage win at the Giro d'Italia (stage 6) and two podiums, with 12 top-tier UCI placings. In addition to Ballerini, the team has announced the arrivals of Ethan Hayter and Giulio Ciccone, while David González and Mark Donovan are leaving. XDS Astana Team, for its part, records Ballerini's departure along with five other exits: Clément Champoussin, Cristián Rodríguez, Gleb Syritsa, Harold Tejada and Sergio Higuita. To strengthen the squad, the Kazakh team has announced three arrivals: Nicolas Breuillard, Nikiforos Arvanitou and Tommaso Dati. With this move, Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team adds to its roster an athlete who in 2026 also shone in stage races, as shown by his stage win at the Giro d'Italia and second place on stage 5 of the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkiye.
