ONE EYE ON THE ROAD, THE OTHER ON THE TRACK. Albert Torres will return in 2023, after a season’s entire focus on the road, to combine team events with velodrome duties with the aim of securing Olympic spots for Spain at the Paris Games. He’ll do so after making his debut in 2022 in the race so many athletes dream of, the Tour de France, where he completed an excellent job in the early part of the stage and ammassed invaluable experience. A luxury domestique in flat terrains, a more than respectable sprinter and even someone to go and chase breakaway wins with, he’s also got two Giro d’Italia appearances and many WorldTour events under his belt, which have seen him receiving public praise from the likes of Valverde (“Wish we had learned about him earlier”) or Sciandri (“A rider so difficult to find at teams nowadays, a really important piece”).

A LEGEND IN THE VELODROMES. Such is the consideration deserved by Albert’s brilliant feats, thirteen times on the podium of Euro and World Champs and six times gold medalist at the Omnium and Madison events, including a rainbow jersey in Cali (2014). That career went to a provisional stop with the recent Tokyo Olympics, where his efforts and dedication, after such a difficult approach due to the pandemic, again gained him applause worldwide.

GLOBETROTTER. He fought for nearly a decade to earn his current chance in the WorldTour. Having been a stagiaire for both the Geox (2011) and Androni (2012) squads, he spent two years with the Team Ecuador; later made part of British outfit Raleigh (2016), where he shared teams with long-time racing partner Sebastián Mora, before the Rio Olympics; and embarked into a Dominican adventure with Inteja (2017-2018) before racing in the velodromes in 2019 with no UCI road squad. 2020 would mark his big chance, offered by Eusebio Unzué by advice from former team member, and Torres’ big support, Juan Martínez Oliver.