Movistar Team vows to keep progressing in 2022

43ª temporada en la elite

La escuadra 'telefónica', con Van Vleuten, Mas, Valverde y Norsgaard como grandes líderes, afronta un año muy significativo por la previsible retirada del 'Bala' y la recuperación del Tour Femmes, en un julio donde los 'azules' competirán por 40ª vez en la 'Grande Boucle'.

GET TO KNOW OUR 2022 ROSTERS BETTER >> Men’s Team | Women’s Team | Esports

The longest-standing team in professional cycling continues to fight strong. The Movistar Team will reach 43 years of existence during a 2022 season where the Abarca Sports organisation led by Eusebio Unzué will experience several crucial moments in its history, some with joy and maybe others with tears.

Let’s start off with the most evident thing. It’s Alejandro Valverde’s last season. An absolute reference in the world of cycling for two decades, Alejandro Valverde has promised not to pin any more numbers on his back after December 31st, 2022. We say it in that way because it’s certain he won’t be away from a bike anytime soon. His character, charm and personality will guide the steps the men’s squad will follow for most of the year, while Enric Mas will be the Blues’ main leader for the Grand Tours.

Enric Mas, Annemiek van Vleuten -at that moment, still injured- and Alejandro Valverde, during the 2022 official team picture, held in Pamplona in late October. (c) Photo Gomez Sport

Alongside the man from Mallorca will be a plethora of riders who, like Mas, are still quite young. Alex Aranburu, the Blues’ biggest signing for 2022; Gonzalo Serrano, who left such a good impression last year; Iván García Cortina, seeking for his best performance; and strong foreigners like recent addition Iván Sosa, Matteo Jorgenson, Johan Jacobs, Abner González or Mathias Norsgaard. That, without forgetting other signings like Max Kanter, who will be contesting the sprints, or Brazilian Vinícius Rangel, a big sensation in Spanish amateur cycling last year.

The Tour de France and La Vuelta will be the main reference of a squad which, for the first time ever, will have women’s and men’s rosters at both events. With the Tour Femmes back into the calendar in 2022, the ‘Grande Boucle’ will last the entire month of July for the Blues, starting with the boys in Denmark and finishing atop La Planche des Belles Filles for the female squad in the 31st. A true challenge in both logistical, exposure and sporting ways, which the women’s Movistar Team will also tackle with the utmost enthusiasm.

The biggest names of the Movistar Team’s 2022 roster. Left to right: Sara Martín, Iván García Cortina, Emma Norsgaard, Alejandro Valverde, Annemiek van Vleuten, Enric Mas, Katrine Aalerud and Alex Aranburu. (c) Photo Gomez Sport

Annemiek van Vleuten, the world’s number one rider from 2021, will again be the main reference of a group full of young talents. Emma Norsgaard, the biggest breakthrough in the peloton last year; Sarah Gigante, in her first WorldTour season; Katrine Aalerud, always improving; or Sara Martín, arguably Spain’s biggest hopeful in a generation, lead the ambitions of a group with only two signings, the list completed by expert Cuban allrounder Arlenis Sierra.

La Passione’s kit on Zwift, worn by the Movistar eTeam members in 2022.

Together with those two riders will be, in their first full season (second as part of the organisation), the Movistar eTeam, the first to make their 2022 debut -the winter season of the Zwift Racing League starts on January 10th; the men’s team kicks off their year in Mallorca, on the 26th; the women won’t race until early February in Valencia-. The 10-member roster (5 women, 5 men) features only one change -and a big one: no less than pro rider, and double British ITT champion, Hayley Simmonds– as the Blues aim at making esports cycling bigger and fight for the biggest success.