A history strongly tied to the Vuelta
18 August 2017

Movistar Team's 38th appearance in the race

Spanish Grand Tour only three-week stagerace Eusebio Unzué's structure has ridden uninterruptedly since its foundation (1980)

The Movistar Team will be at the start of the 72nd Vuelta a España on Saturday for the 38th consecutive time since Eusebio Unzué's squad was created in 1980. Long gone are the days when another young lineup, the Reynolds team, started their account of victories in the pro scene with the late Dominique Arnaud – a tally which has reached record numbers almost four decades after.

Unzué's team has four individual GC victories –Delgado, in 1989; Olano, in 1998; Valverde, in 2009; and last year's Nairo Quintana success– and no less than 16 overall podium finishes. The Blues have also obtained 58 stage victories –with the legendary Chava Jiménez as top scorer (9)–, 112 days with the leader's jersey –the ranking being led by Valverde (27) and Quintana (14)– and nine overall team GCs, two of them in Movistar Team colours (2012 y 15). The telephone squad, which also got to the podium together in 2012 and 2014 as winners of the opening team time trials, will start their participation in the Vuelta on Saturday with another TTT in Nîmes, with a team strongly focused on youth. 

38th apppearance
Uninterruptedly since 1980

4 overall wins
89 Pedro Delgado
98 Abraham Olano
09 Alejandro Valverde
16 Nairo Quintana

16 podium finishes
90 Pedro Delgado (2nd)
91 Miguel Indurain (2nd)
94 Mikel Zarrabeitia (2nd)
06 Alejandro Valverde (2nd)
12 Alejandro Valverde (2nd)
92 Pedro Delgado (3rd)
94 Pedro Delgado (3rd)
98 José Mª Jiménez (3rd)

04 Francisco Mancebo (3rd)

05 Francisco Mancebo (3rd)

13 Alejandro Valverde (3rd)
14 Alejandro Valverde (3rd)

112 days in the lead
Alejandro Valverde (27)
Nairo Quintana (14)
Abraham Olano (13)
Pedro Delgado (12)
Julián Gorospe (9)
Ángel Arroyo (8)
Alex Zülle (8)
Miguel Indurain (5)
Marc Gómez (4)
José María Jiménez (4)
Jonathan Castroviejo (3)
Vladimir Efimkin (3)
Pablo Lastras (1)
Rubén Fernández (1)

9 team GCs
94, 98, 99, 01, 03 (Banesto); 07, 08 (Caisse d’Épargne); 12, 15 (Movistar Team)

Secondary classifications
* KOM (10): Laguía (5), Jiménez (4), Aitor Osa.
* Points (4): Valverde (3), Jiménez.
* Combination (3): Valverde (2), Quintana.

58 stage wins
Jiménez (9)
Valverde (6)
Delgado (4)
Laguía (4)
Lastras (3)
Erviti (2)
Movistar Team (2)
Zülle (2)
Chente Gª Acosta (2)
Blanco (2)
Alonso (2)
Arnaud (2)
Marc Gómez (2)
Gorospe (2)
Carlos Hernández (2)
Hernández Úbeda (2)
Quintana (1)
Olano (1)
Malori (1)
David López (1)
David Arroyo (1)
Efimkin (1)
Eladio Jiménez (1)
Mancebo (1)
Menchov (1)
Mercado (1)

* Wins in Movistar Team colours are in bold