Gallery: Team Movistar squad for 2012

Image 1 of 28

Alejandro Valverde (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Image 2 of 28

Andrei Amador (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Image 3 of 28

Pablo Lastras Garcia (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Image 4 of 28

David Lopez (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Image 5 of 28

Angel Madrazo Ruiz (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Image 6 of 28

Daniel Moreno (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Image 7 of 28

Sergio Pardilla Bellon (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Image 8 of 28

Ruben Plaza Molina (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Image 9 of 28

Image 10 of 28

Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Image 11 of 28

Branislau Samoilau (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Image 12 of 28

Enrique Sanz (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Image 13 of 28

Francisco José Ventoso (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Image 14 of 28

Ignatas Konovalovas (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Image 15 of 28

Vasili Kiryienka (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Image 16 of 28

David Arroyo (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Image 17 of 28

Marzio Bruseghin (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Image 18 of 28

Image 19 of 28

Image 20 of 28

Image 21 of 28

Imanol Erviti Ollo (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Image 22 of 28

José Ivan Gutierrez (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Image 23 of 28

Jesus Herrada Lopez (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Image 24 of 28

Image 25 of 28

Beñat Intxausti Elorriaga (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Image 26 of 28

Javier Iriarte (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Image 27 of 28

Vladimir Karpets (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Image 28 of 28

Giovanni Visconti (Image credit: Team Movistar)

Team Movistar will be hoping that two grand signings in the form of Alejandro Valverde and Juan Jose Cobo Acebo will bring the team success in 2012.

Cobo: Movistar offer too good to pass up

The Spanish team were presented in Madrid earlier this week with both Spaniards pulling on a Movistar jersey for the first time. Both riders had previously ridden for the team in it's previous incarnation as Caisse d'Epargne. However Valverde missed Movistar's debut season in 2011 due to a doping related ban, while Cobo raced at Geox-TMC, where he won the Vuelta a Espana.

“I hope to ride like I did in the last two months of last season,” Cobo said. “Winning the Vuelta didn’t so much change my life as change my mentality. Thanks to that, I’m now super motivated and that’s what I needed.”

Eusebio Unzue confirmed that Cobo will be on hand to defend his red jersey when the Vuelta gets underway in Pamplona on August 18, and hinted that he will ride the Tour de France beforehand. However, he was reluctant to rule out the possibility that Cobo might instead lead the squad at the Giro d’Italia.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

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

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

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