Teams & Riders Team Movistar-thread

[Valv.Piti]

Yeah, Ion is gone. I will continue to support him as he was one of my favourites on Euskaltel and Movistar. Here is an interview: http://www.ciclismoafondo.es/compet...culo/Ion-Izagirre-ficha-Bahrain-Merida-oficia

Valverde said he won't ride 3 Vueltas again next year - says he can't be competitive in all of them (altho I think he proved his own statement wrong this year, but I get what he is saying). Obviously a good decision. Waiting for team meetings to decide which races to ride.
http://www.ciclismoafondo.es/compet...ejandro-Valverde-no-correra-tres-grandes-2017

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Valverde should now try the top cobbled races and then hit the usual schedule later in the year.

 

[Valv.Piti]

For Abu Dhabi. As usual, the big question is Betancur:
Amador
Anacona
Betancur
D. Quintana
Ventoso
Lobato

 

[Moviestar]

Re:

For Abu Dhabi. As usual, the big question is Betancur:
Amador
Anacona
Betancur
D. Quintana
Ventoso
Lobato

Funny compo, apart from Amador and maybe Ventoso the riders who ''disappointed'' the most this season. As a punishment for their bad season they are sent to Abu Dhabi

 

[Valv.Piti]

http://www.ciclismoafondo.es/compet...n/articulo/Carlos-Barbero-ficha-Movistar-Team

So yeah, Barbero? Don't know too much about him, seems like a decent stage hunter in minor stage races and eventually the Giro maybe.

 

[Squire]

Straight replacement for Lobato. Not as fast, but a better climber. Will probably continue to get good placings and maybe some wins in the Spanish races, but don't see him challenging for WT-level wins.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I thought the same. Like Lobato, he probably won't see any GT on this team, but he should be able to get his opportunities elsewhere. I hoped for Bilbao instead.

 

[trevim]

Lobato might get a couple of WT sprint wins in races like Catalina that usually have really depleted sprint fields

 

[Moviestar]

Re:

I thought the same. Like Lobato, he probably won't see any GT on this team, but he should be able to get his opportunities elsewhere. I hoped for Bilbao instead.

Bilbao was already signed by Astana

http://www.marca.com/ciclismo/2016/10/05/57f4c56ae5fdea7e6e8b461e.html

 

[mariposa]

Re:

I thought the same. Like Lobato, he probably won't see any GT on this team, but he should be able to get his opportunities elsewhere. I hoped for Bilbao instead.

Lobato was in the Giro team in 2015. He got a second place on stage 7 before crashing out on stage18. Movistar seem to like letting the younger riders have a go in the Giro to get experience without the stress of the TDF so Barbero may get his chance at a GT there.

 

[Moviestar]

Pablo Lastras is the next ex-Abarca rider who will join the technical staff of Movistar next year.

http://www.movistarteam.com/news/2016-10-27/pablo-lastras-is-back-home

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I'm more surprised he didn't move straight into that role. It was obvious, Lastras is an Abarcá lifer, just like Txente before him. The team was always going to have a place for him, he's been part of the furniture there since 1998. Erviti is probably next in that role having been there since 2005 and coming from the feeder. After that, maybe Amador? Rojas? Most of the other riders who've become part of the scenery in Egüés have been elsewhere so are more like José Iván Gutiérrez, not like Pablito or Txente.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

I'm more surprised he didn't move straight into that role. It was obvious, Lastras is an Abarcá lifer, just like Txente before him. The team was always going to have a place for him, he's been part of the furniture there since 1998. Erviti is probably next in that role having been there since 2005 and coming from the feeder. After that, maybe Amador? Rojas? Most of the other riders who've become part of the scenery in Egüés have been elsewhere so are more like José Iván Gutiérrez, not like Pablito or Txente.

Amador is Costa Rican and Rojas is a fascist.

Jokes aside, I'd bet Don Alejandro also will be part of the staff at some point. I think he just loves cycling and working too much. i know he had his charming Kelme-days, but whatever Don wants he should get, Unzue loves him like a child. Speaking of Valverde, he won't ride Il Giro next year. It was nice to cheer him on this May, but I honestly like his normal schedule more. x4 L-B-L, 5x Fléche?

 

[hrotha]

Former riders automatically becoming DS's or similar at top teams is starting to be a serious problem. Cycling is too endogamous.

Txente is atrocious. Valverde might be even worse.

 

[Netserk]

Re:

Former riders automatically becoming DS's or similar at top teams is starting to be a serious problem. Cycling is too endogamous.

Txente is atrocious. Valverde might be even worse.

Why him in particular? I agree with Valverde, tactically he would be a liability.

 

[Beech Mtn]

deleted

 

[hrotha]

Re: Re:

Former riders automatically becoming DS's or similar at top teams is starting to be a serious problem. Cycling is too endogamous.

Txente is atrocious. Valverde might be even worse.

Why him in particular? I agree with Valverde, tactically he would be a liability.

You need to listen to the things he says whenever someone asks him about his tactics. He's just a glorified driver.

 

[Joomla10]

Hello! I am a big fan of cycling, and a fan of Movistar team! My favorite rider is of course big Don Alejandro Valverde!

The big thing for Movistar is extension of Dani Moreno. I hope so we sign a replecment for Ion, that is realy important.

I hope that the new season will be successful, and and that we will finally beat Froome and Sky at the Tour.

Spring is time for Alejandro and Amstel, LBL, and Flache Valone...

 

[Netserk]

Re: Re:

Former riders automatically becoming DS's or similar at top teams is starting to be a serious problem. Cycling is too endogamous.

Txente is atrocious. Valverde might be even worse.

Why him in particular? I agree with Valverde, tactically he would be a liability.

You need to listen to the things he says whenever someone asks him about his tactics. He's just a glorified driver.

Ah, okay. I'll take your word for that, as I for obvious reasons don't get to listen to him (in a language I understand).

 

[May0maniac]

Soler and Ruben Fernandez will be one year older and stronger, so they should be able to be great mountain domestiques. They've also signed De La Parte, but frankly that's a bit of a "Coboesque" signing.

 

[Moviestar]

Re:

Soler and Ruben Fernandez will be one year older and stronger, so they should be able to be great mountain domestiques. They've also signed De La Parte, but frankly that's a bit of a "Coboesque" signing.

Replacement of Javi Moreno

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The two neos are promising too. Carapaz is a great climber who was the first extranjero to win the Vuelta de la Juventud Colombiana as well as a tough stage and GC top 10 in the Clásico RCN before coming to Europe and bossing the Spanish amateur scene. He's acquitted himself well as a stagiare (Movistar almost never take on stagiares so they must have seen something), and Carretero is a really good all round talent, he won't be an instant hit in 2017 as a 21yo, but in the medium to long term he's a good pick-up. Samitier still at Lizarte is a great climber too, also 21. Carapaz is 23 already but is also noticeably ready to handle the higher level having made some fairly select groups in the late stages during Tre Valli and Gran Piemonte. This year's neos I think are noticeably higher level than last year's (Pedrero and Arcas, both were 23-24 when turning pro whereas Carretero is I think more ready to turn pro now than they were last year).

 

[Moviestar]

Re:

The two neos are promising too. Carapaz is a great climber who was the first extranjero to win the Vuelta de la Juventud Colombiana as well as a tough stage and GC top 10 in the Clásico RCN before coming to Europe and bossing the Spanish amateur scene. He's acquitted himself well as a stagiare (Movistar almost never take on stagiares so they must have seen something), and Carretero is a really good all round talent, he won't be an instant hit in 2017 as a 21yo, but in the medium to long term he's a good pick-up. Samitier still at Lizarte is a great climber too, also 21. Carapaz is 23 already but is also noticeably ready to handle the higher level having made some fairly select groups in the late stages during Tre Valli and Gran Piemonte. This year's neos I think are noticeably higher level than last year's (Pedrero and Arcas, both were 23-24 when turning pro whereas Carretero is I think more ready to turn pro now than they were last year).

I expected they would sign him and/or Jaime Castrillo too from Lizarte, maybe next season.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

Soler and Ruben Fernandez will be one year older and stronger, so they should be able to be great mountain domestiques. They've also signed De La Parte, but frankly that's a bit of a "Coboesque" signing.

Yep, Soler and Fernandez will get big roles in the coming years. Fernandez is basically already now the best climbing domestique, he might also get the chance to lead some nice WT stage races in contrary to just TdU, maybe P-N, Alejandro and Nairo doesn't give much for that race lately.

 

[spiritualride]

Why do UCI points matter so much? What is the benefit to a team to finish 1st vs 2nd vs 5th in the points?

This is a general question about all teams but I didn't want to clog the forum with a new thread to ask this dumb question... thought a team thread would be a good place since Movistar is such a huge team.