UCI WorldTeam

Movistar Team

These Spanish giants are the oldest team in the WorldTour, having started out in 1980 as Reynolds before switching to Banesto in the 1990s when Miguel Indurain won five consecutive Tours de France and two editions of the Giro d’Italia.

José Miguel Echavarri was directeur sportif and the beating heart of the team until 2008 when he passed the torch to Eusebio Unzué, who remains in charge today. The team’s seemingly baffling tactics in Grand Tours can be a source of amusement for fans as the team’s various leaders have failed to act cohesively on many occasions.

Despite this, they have seen success in the Grand Tours in recent years, with Nairo Quintana winning the Giro (2014) and Vuelta (2016) and Richard Carapaz the 2019 Giro. 2023 marks the dawn of the post-Alejandro Valverde era for the Spanish team, the first time he’s not been on their roster since 2004 after finally hanging up his racing wheels at the end of 2022.

With Valverde no longer there to deliver victories, even more eyes will be on their current star Enric Mas to continue flying the flag in the Grand Tours. Two consecutive runner-up spots at La Vuelta a España are promising but a Grand Tour victory will be expected sooner or later - failure to top the GC at any of 2023’s three-week races will mark the team’s longest Grand Tour dry spell since 2014. Ruben Guerreiro will hopefully be a useful mountain domestique for Mas as he joins from EF Education-EasyPost, while sprinter Fernando Gaviria joins the team too, looking to re-find some form after a disappointing stint at UAE Team Emirates.

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