The Movistar Team of Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde presented the 2015 roster today in front of VIPs and media at Telefónica’s headquarters in Madrid. The 28 riders on stage revealed their new kit for the fifth season in which they will wear the green ‘M’ in the WorldTour peloton.
The team is coming off two consecutive years winning the UCI WorldTour team classification, along with Valverde’s third career victory in the UCI standings.
The Tour de France, which the team have conquered seven times, will be their main goal again next year with Quintana, the 2014 Giro d'Italia winner, leading the way. The Vuelta a España and all events in the Spanish calendar outline a race schedule that also includes the most prestigious European races as well as visits to the Americas, Asia-Pacific and a long campaign through the Gulf (Dubai, Qatar, Oman). British rider Alex Dowsett will also try to break the UCI hour record in the London Olympic velodrome.
“Having the increasing support of Telefónica by our side, as well as a group of powerful, technology-driven sponsors such as Canyon, Endura and many others, makes us really proud,” said team manager Eusebio Unzué. ”We have a strong reference in Nairo, a man who has adapted exceptionally well to the tasks of being a team leader and progressed impressively to become a big name in the sport – it has really surprised us.
“We’re all hoping for [Quintana] to just explode, waiting for his definitive confirmation,” added Unzue.
Quintana described an upbeat mood in the team as they prepare for the season ahead.
“We have a great team with great potential, we feel capable of [winning the Tour de France], so we have no problem talking about that,” he said. "The route is very good. There are a couple of tricky stages where we’ll have to be careful, but on the whole I like the look of it.”
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Unzue said the team will be prepared to support Quintana's Tour bid.
Four new riders have joined the team for 2015, including veteran Australian all-rounder Rory Sutherland, 2014 Vuelta a España stage victor Winner Anacona, 2013 Tour de l’Avenir champion Rubén Fernández; and neo-pro Marc Soler. The rest of the roster includes three national champions – Valverde, Ion Izagirre and Adriano Malori – as part of a 28-man group that averages 27 years old.
