Carapaz becomes pro with Movistar Team; De la Parte joins

Two new signings

Climber from Ecuador officially joins Eusebio Unzué's roster in 2017; Basque takes leap towards WorldTour next year with the Blues

The Movistar Team announces on Friday its latest two signings for the 2017 season onwards: Richard Carapaz (Ecuador, 1993), who will officially make part of the Spanish outfit after spending the summer as a trainee with the Blues; and Víctor de la Parte(Spain, 1986), a six-year pro from Vitoria in the Basque Country. Both arrivals will join the already announced Daniele Bennati, confirmed in mid August.

Carapaz has earned a well-deserved spot as the first-ever rider from Ecuador to compete for a UCI WorldTour team, having completed 20 racing days between August and September with the Blues in France and Italy. A talented climber, with lots of courage and will to do well in the sport's top tier, he's proven to be a committed helper for team leaders and a man with no fear when it comes to fighting against the world's best. As well as his good results in Toscana (20th), Tre Valli Varesine (32nd, following several attacks in the finale) or the Giro dell’Emilia, Richard had already claimed four victories in 2016 as part of development team Lizarte – including the GC of the Vuelta a Navarra, one of Spain's biggest amateur events – and a runner-up finish in the prestigious Memorial Valenciaga.

At the very same Euskadi where Carapaz shone in the spring was born De la Parte, 30, who finally reaches a big chance in the WorldTour after six years spent in CT and PCT squads Caja Rural, SP Tableware, Efapel, Vorarlberg or CCC Sprandi. Víctor joined the Polish team after a brilliant GC victory in the 2015 Tour of Austria, where he also claimed consecutive mountain-top finish wins in Dobratsch and the Kitzbüheler Horn -the place where Dayer Quintana opened his pro account in 2014-. As well as a good climber -podium finisher in Croatia this season (3rd)-, the Álava-based rider has also progressed as a time trialist: he was 6th in the 2015 Spanish ITT Championships and 10th at the 2016 Tour de Pologne's closing TT in Kraków, won by Alex Dowsett. He even came close to finishing within the best ten of a WorldTour multi-day event this year at the Tour de Suisse, coming in 11th spot.