First Movistar Team signing for next season

35-year-old Italian to bring strength into flat terrain to Eusebio Unzué's squad; huge palmarès as sprinters includes more than 50 wins, success in all three Grand Tours

The Movistar Team announces Tuesday that Italy's Daniele Bennati (Arezzo, 1980) will be a member of its squad starting next season. 'Benna' will fulfil his 16th consecutive season in the pro peloton in 2017, always through top-tier outfits since his debut at Domina Vacanze and until the last four years within the ranks of Tinkoff.

Bennati has developed great abilities for teamwork through the last few years, which the Movistar Team hopes the man from Tuscany will bring to up their level into flat courses. Daniele has notably shone throughout his career as a sprinter: his 53-victory palmarès includes two stage wins in the Tour de France, six in the Vuelta and three in the Giro d'Italia.

So far this season, Bennati has raised his arms victorious twice, in both the opening stages of the Vuelta a Andalucía / Ruta del Sol and the Tour of Denmark. That, despite breaking a vertebra into a crash at Milano-Sanremo in mid March.