Teams & Riders Team Movistar-thread

[Libertine Seguros]

If Movistar and Lotto are at the point of doing this, the footballification of the transfer market is complete.

 

[Koronin]

As for the Giro, the sponsor and the team don't really care about the Giro or the Italian races in general. Next La Vuelta is actually the most important GT for Movistar both team and sponsor. Spanish team and Spanish sponsor. The Tour is actually slightly below la Vuelta for them. That is part of why you see them do what they do at times.
Valverde is not the problem. The previous two years the problem was Landa and Quintana literally couldn't get along for anything. Valverde was the one who saved la Vuelta for them both years. This year he has been trying to teach (specifically) Mas who is trying to learn from him. Look at some of the pictures of Valverde and Mas and of Valverde, Mas, and Soler at the end of stages. They are don't have problems with the way leadership is divided currently and Mas said he's grateful Valverde has shouldered the vast majority of leadership while he learns. There are times in those pictures it almost looks like Valverde is the proud father of these two younger riders. It's also evident that Valverde has chosen Mas to start turning over leadership of this team to.

If Movistar and Lotto are at the point of doing this, the footballification of the transfer market is complete.

Back in 2004 Movistar paid Kelme a large chunk of money (if I remember right from google translate reading of their 40th anniversary book) in the sum of around 1 million, to buy out Valverde's contract. So them buying out the contract of a Pro Conti rider isn't exactly new.

 

[Fernandez]

I think that Enric Mas is the most disappointing prospect of the new gen.
Really.
This is top 10 GT material at best, which is curious since he was indicated as the next big spanish thing.

Top 5, but I agree, the guy is nothing great. I wouldnt say I feel dissappoint because I never put too much enthusiasm on him.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Sure, a 25 year old finishing 5th in Tour and (probably) 5th in Vuelta within 6 weeks are nothing more than a “Top 10 GT material AT BEST”.

oh, he already got a GT podium aswell...

Yeah, it's a bit premature to mark him as another Mancebo.

 

[Fernandez]

And its not only about being top 10 or top 5 or podium or whatever, the guy is a boredom of a rider. Imposible to feel enthusiastic with him.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

His attack an Angliru was great tho.
It's hard to be an attacking rider when you're not strong enough.

 

[Moviestar]

And its not only about being top 10 or top 5 or podium or whatever, the guy is a boredom of a rider. Imposible to feel enthusiastic with him.

Let's wait what he will do in a full ''normal'' season. He actually surprises me with 2 top fives, given the fact that he and his teammates didn't train in a proper way during the coronabreak ( in comparison with other teams). In theory his performances could only be better from now on. A stronger Mas will take more risks. This half year he seems at his limit, but that's not strange with his and Movistars prep.

 

[Mayomaniac]

As for the Giro, the sponsor and the team don't really care about the Giro or the Italian races in general. Next La Vuelta is actually the most important GT for Movistar both team and sponsor. Spanish team and Spanish sponsor. The Tour is actually slightly below la Vuelta for them. That is part of why you see them do what they do at times.
Valverde is not the problem. The previous two years the problem was Landa and Quintana literally couldn't get along for anything. Valverde was the one who saved la Vuelta for them both years. This year he has been trying to teach (specifically) Mas who is trying to learn from him. Look at some of the pictures of Valverde and Mas and of Valverde, Mas, and Soler at the end of stages. They are don't have problems with the way leadership is divided currently and Mas said he's grateful Valverde has shouldered the vast majority of leadership while he learns. There are times in those pictures it almost looks like Valverde is the proud father of these two younger riders. It's also evident that Valverde has chosen Mas to start turning over leadership of this team to.



Back in 2004 Movistar paid Kelme a large chunk of money (if I remember right from google translate reading of their 40th anniversary book) in the sum of around 1 million, to buy out Valverde's contract. So them buying out the contract of a Pro Conti rider isn't exactly new.

I think that them not caring about the Giro is a bit of an exaggeration. Yes, Vuelta and Tour are more important to them, but they still ended up sending Quintana to the Giro twice. Last year they also had Landa and Carapaz at the Giro, when Carapaz had already finished top 5 at the Giro the year before.

 

[BlueRoads]

I think that them not caring about the Giro is a bit of an exaggeration. Yes, Vuelta and Tour are more important to them, but they still ended up sending Quintana to the Giro twice. Last year they also had Landa and Carapaz at the Giro, when Carapaz had already finished top 5 at the Giro the year before.

See. They don't care about the Giro.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

They've also won more Giri than they have Tours and Vueltas put together in the last decade...

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

I think it's pretty obvious that they care about the Giro when they have strength enough to do so. This season with only Mas, old Valverde and unreliable Soler they did not have strength to send a good team to the Giro without sacrificing too much of the Tour or Vuelta team.
If they sign Lopez I expect things to be different next year.

 

[Kaptain Kool]

I think it's pretty obvious that they care about the Giro when they have strength enough to do so. This season with only Mas, old Valverde and unreliable Soler they did not have strength to send a good team to the Giro without sacrificing too much of the Tour or Vuelta team.
If they sign Lopez I expect things to be different next year.

Exactly. Movistar used to be a top 5 team. When you're basically now a UCI Pro-level team, you have to be more selective.
Also, saying that the sponsor has little interest in an event is different than saying the team has interest little interest in it.

 

[Koronin]

I think that them not caring about the Giro is a bit of an exaggeration. Yes, Vuelta and Tour are more important to them, but they still ended up sending Quintana to the Giro twice. Last year they also had Landa and Carapaz at the Giro, when Carapaz had already finished top 5 at the Giro the year before.

Although there were reasons for Quintana's 2013 Giro which was send him and see what happens. Then we have the debacle of 2017.
They've also had other years like 2015 when Amador managed to finish top 5 at the Giro.

 

[Blanco]

Although there were reasons for Quintana's 2013 Giro which was send him and see what happens. Then we have the debacle of 2017.
They've also had other years like 2015 when Amador managed to finish top 5 at the Giro.

How is 2017 Giro a debacle?

 

[Koronin]

How is 2017 Giro a debacle?

Not the Giro, but the Giro/Tour double Quintana did. Which led to the comments from Quintana's father about the team burning Quintana out and shouldn't have had him racing the Giro and Tour. Forgetting that Quintana had been wanting that during the off season and then it didn't go well.

 

[Moviestar]

Nizzolo (NTT, 32) would be on the radar of Movistar..

Giacomo Nizzolo podría correr en el Movistar Team en 2021

El Movistar Team ha puesto sus miradas en reforzar plantilla para la temporada 2021 con un sprinter con experiencia, Giacomo Nizzolo.

laguiadelciclismo.com

 

[Koronin]

Nizzolo would be an interesting fit. However, I can see him in the team. Also being Italian it's very likely he'd be virtually guaranteed a spot on the Giro team. They've always seem to like to send Italians to their home GT.

 

[Kaptain Kool]

Although there were reasons for Quintana's 2013 Giro which was send him and see what happens. Then we have the debacle of 2017.
They've also had other years like 2015 when Amador managed to finish top 5 at the Giro.

Quintana's first Giro was 2014. But "send him and see what happens" is a bit misleading given that the was the #1 pre-race favorite.

 

[Koronin]

Quintana's first Giro was 2014. But "send him and see what happens" is a bit misleading given that the was the #1 pre-race favorite.

2014 then was his first attempt at 2 GT's and he got hurt and had to eventually abandon the Vuelta that year.

 

[Koronin]

This is at least Movistar's idea to have team meals together. This is their kitchen truck

 

[Samu Cuenca]

This is at least Movistar's idea to have team meals together. This is their kitchen truck

Velverde running out of his elixir of youth.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Erviti has the face of a Basque who has just been asked to sit next to Rojas.

 

[Mayomaniac]

On another note, I just realized that the Mühlberger transfer isn't as random as it seems, you have the Patxi Vila connection. He already worked with him at Bora and is now the head of performance at Movistar.

 

[Moviestar]

I'm very interested to see how the new signing Gonzalez will fare. He obtained some nice results in the harder races ( like the Memorial Valenciaga and Torredonjimeno). Too bad they can't sign someone like Jon Barrenetxea (already under the wings of Acquadro), who seems to be a real winnertype.

In general Movistar has a good eye for these youngsters who eventually also deliver with the pro's. Riders like Pedrero, Carapaz, Samitier and Elosegui who excelled in Valenciaga in their younger days, also proved to be reliable with the pro's. The same goes for guys like Amador and Soler. Samitier and Elosegui are still very young and need some further time to adapt. The only riders who didn't adapt well were Jaime Castrillo and Madrazo i think.

 

[Breh]

Oliveira's hair.
I'm in awe