Iván García Cortina leaves Movistar and signs with Alpecin-Premier Tech until 2028

Iván García Cortina will change teams starting in 2027. The Asturian rider will end his six-season stint with Movistar Team to join Alpecin-Premier Tech, one of the most powerful structures in the peloton in the realm of classics and sprints. The agreement will be for two seasons, until the end of 2028, and represents a change of direction for a cyclist looking to develop his full potential in the calendar that best suits his characteristics.

Iván García Cortina signs with Alpecin-Premier Tech for the next two seasons

With this move, the Belgian team continues to strengthen a block built around the major northern classics and sprint finishes, where it already has key figures like Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen. For García Cortina, the signing represents the opportunity to integrate into a formation whose sporting philosophy fully aligns with his profile.

A change to compete where he performs best

After joining Movistar Team in 2021, García Cortina became the main reference for the Spanish squad in the classics on cobblestones and the most explosive races on the calendar. However, he has now decided to seek an environment where such events are the central focus of the season.

The Asturian, who also passed through the structures of Quick-Step and Bahrain Victorious before returning to Spanish cycling, will face this new stage with the intention of establishing himself as one of the key men in the support block for the classics and seizing opportunities that arise in one-day races and reduced finishes.

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His incorporation will also allow Alpecin-Premier Tech to gain experience and depth in an area where positioning, endurance, and the ability to harden the race are as important as final speed.

García Cortina: “I didn’t want to end my career without trying”

The rider himself explained that the decision is both a sporting challenge and a personal opportunity.

“I am immensely grateful for everything I have experienced during six years with Movistar Team. Those memories will always be with me. But now the time has come to face a new challenge.”

The Gijon native also made it clear what his main motivation was for accepting the offer from the Belgian team.

“I didn’t want to end my career without trying to be part of one of the best teams in the world and compete at the highest level in the races I enjoy the most: the spring classics.”

At 30 years old, García Cortina will face a moment of full sporting maturity in a team where he will have less pressure as the sole leader and will be able to develop a more specific role within one of the formations that best masters this type of competition.

Alpecin-Premier Tech also adds Madis Mihkels and Casper van Uden

The announcement of García Cortina has been accompanied by two other signings to strengthen the squad for the upcoming seasons.

The Estonian Madis Mihkels, coming from EF Education-EasyPost, has signed until 2028 and explained his decision as follows:

“I decided to join Alpecin-Premier Tech because I believe it is the best place to take the next step in my career. I have dreamed for almost my entire life of racing for one of the best teams in the world for classics and sprints, and now that dream has come true. My goal is to win races and help the team achieve great results.”

For his part, the Dutchman Casper van Uden, one of the most promising young sprinters in the peloton and coming from Team dsm-firmenich PostNL, has signed a contract until 2029.

“I am very excited to join this great team. I believe it is the perfect environment to take the next step in my career and become a more consistent sprinter. The team has built a true sprint culture over the past few years, and I am convinced that this will help me continue to grow as a rider.”

With these three signings, Alpecin-Premier Tech significantly strengthens its roster for the upcoming cycle, combining García Cortina's experience in the classics with Mihkels' potential and Van Uden's speed to remain one of the references in the peloton for one-day races and mass finishes.