Statistics
Movistar Team established into the top echelon of the WorldTour, 3rd-placed in all three reference rankings -UCI, CQ, PCS- as they improve results from the last two years
In their third season under the sponsorship of Movistar Team, the structure managed by Eusebio Unzué has taken another steo forward into their consolidation as a project on top of world cycling. All three world reference rankings confirm that progression: the UCI WorldTour standings, the CQ Ranking and the Season Ranking from Procyclingstats -the latter two being considered as the most prestigious statistic websites on pro cycling- put the telephone squad in 3rd place, always behind Sky (which leads all three classifications) as Katusha and Omega Pharma-QuickStep occupy the second places. In the WorldTour, the difference between 2013 (more than 600 points) and the two previous seasons (always around 300) is even bigger.
The outstanding performance from the Spanish team is equally tangible in the Spanish calendar and the big international races. Seven from the sixteen victories achieved in the first five months of racing came in the WorldTour, while the other nine were obtained in Spain, where the Movistar Team has dominated since the beginning of the season. A figure reflects the excellent average level from the squad: even though the 16 victories notched up to date in 2013 are over the triumphs collected in 2012 (15) and 2011 (14), none of Unzué’s three fast men -Ventoso, Rojas and Sanz- have been able to open their victory account yet.
Valverde (4), Quintana (3), Visconti, Moreno, Plaza (2 each), Intxausti, Dowsett and Costa -eight in total, another aspect that brings Movistar Team to the fore of the international scene- have been the winning riders so far, with many other names still to shine in the second part of the season. Still feasible is to repeat the spectacular mark from 2012, with 29 victories -the squad’s 6th best season in 34 years of history- that took Movistar’s blue jersey account up to 50.
HOW MOVISTAR TEAM PERFORMED UP TO THE GIRO – HISTORY
2013: 16 victories (8 different riders), 41 top-3. 3rd, UCI WorldTour ranking (602 points).
2012: 15 victories (10 different riders), 39 top-3. 13th, UCI WorldTour ranking (298 points).
2011: 14 victories (8 different riders), 38 top-3. 12th, UCI WorldTour ranking (338 points).