Movistar name Tour Down Under team

The 2015 UCI WorldTour will kick off at the Tour Down Under without 2014 overall winner Alejandro Valverde. The Movistar Team will also be leaving behind Javier Moreno, who was runner-up in 2013, and instead will depend on sprinter Juan José Lobato and climbers Eros Capecchi, José Herrada and Gorka Izagirre for the six-stage race.

According to Biciciclismo, the team will also include Pablo Lastras as road captain and Rubén Fernández and Enrique Sanz  as support riders.

The Spanish team has had mixed success in the Australian race. Valverde was second in 2012, but has not been back to the race since, and aside from Moreno's second place overall, it has stage wins by Francisco Ventoso and Valverde in its palmares.

The squad may have a better chance with its climber-heavy team on a course, which adds a bit more elevation compared with previous years, with a tough uphill sprint in Campbelltown and a new finish at Mount Baker in addition to the traditional Willunga Hill stage.

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*

Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets

After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Join now for unlimited access

Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1