Reigning Greek champion Nikiforos Arvanitou, who joined XDS Astana Team as a trainee on August 1 this year and competed with the team in a series of races, has signed a two-year agreement with the Kazakh project for the 2027 and 2028 seasons, Qazinform News Agency cited the team's press service.

Arvanitou debuted as a trainee at the Arctic Race of Norway, where he twice finished in the Top 10 on stages and also helped Thomas Silva win the overall classification. At the Belgian one-day race Gooikse Pijl, Nikiforos Arvanitou was one of the key riders supporting Max Kanter, who went on to win the race. At the Tour de Kyushu, the Greek rider again performed very well, delivering a winning lead-out for Matteo Malucelli on the opening stage.

“I am truly happy to join XDS Astana Team as a rider of the main roster. For me, XDS Astana Team is a team with a rich history and tremendous success over all these years. I supported this team when I was a child, and now joining the WorldTour with them is a real dream come true. This year, I had the opportunity to attend a training camp and race several events with the team as a trainee, and I immediately felt, as they say, like I was in the right place. In every racing block I took part in, we won something, and it was unforgettable. So I am really looking forward to the new season, when I will have the chance to compete in major races, help the team achieve important goals, and prove myself,” said Nikiforos Arvanitou.

“We had the opportunity to assess Nikiforos both in training and in races during his traineeship. He made a very good impression – a young, strong rider, always ready to help his teammates and give 100% to achieve the goal. It is clear that Arvanitou has potential both as a domestique and lead-out rider, as well as a fast rider capable of achieving success on his own. Two years of hard work lie ahead, but he has every chance of becoming a good professional rider,” said Alexandr Vinokurov, General Manager of XDS Astana Team.

Earlier, Italian rider Toneatti signed an extension with XDS Astana.

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