Movistar Team hails 2017 season

Dream remains more alive than ever for Eusebio Unzué's team, looking for the biggest success once again in their 38th season as pro cycling organisation

The Movistar Team starts its 2017 season with the always difficult goal of remaining in the lead of the cycling peloton, an objective increasingly hard to achieve given the continuous evolution of a thrilling sport. This year's roster will be the most diverse in 38 years for the Abarca Sports organisation – 13 riders from outside Spain, to 15 locals -, which has come reinforced from the transfer window this winter. Looking to build an ever more consistent, well-bonded group, it's acquired intelligent, solidary riders, a mixture of both dependable veterans (Bennati, De la Parte) and talented youngsters (Barbero, Bico, Carretero, Carapaz). Even if the best signings are coming from inside the team itself.

Nairo Quintana – whose aim of reaching Tour de France glory stays untouched – and Alejandro Valverde – the tireless, imcomparable talent who becomes even bigger as a person outside the racing – will again be the top members of a group which has trusted all good inside their previous roster. The potential of Soler, Sütterlin, Fernández –all three re-signing through 2019- and Dayer Quintana. The consolidation in the sport's elite by Jesús Herrada, Castroviejo, Anacona, Oliveira and Betancur. Plus, the invaluable help from experts Erviti, Amador, Gorka Izagirre, José Herrada, Malori, Sutherland, Rojas and Dani Moreno. Secured present and future for a group that will keep breeding their 'sophomores' Arcas and Pedrero alongside the rest of the Blues' 'kindergarten', 12 of their members under 27 years old.

Pablo Lastras' signing as part of the staff was the other pre-season highlight for a group which keeps relying on support by nearly thirty sponsors, led by Telefónica, which will continue as title at least through 2019 thanks to the contract renewal announced last September. The support they won't ever miss, though, is their fans, which have increased amazingly over the last year till the point they've taken the Movistar Team to 2nd place between all WorldTour squads (1.2 million). They're unstoppable energy. #YoSoyMovistarTeam!