Movistar aim to become first 100% sustainable cycling organisation

Movistar Team have announced that they aim for their men's and women's WorldTour squads to become part of the world's first 100 per cent sustainable cycling organisation, with solar panels at the Spanish outfit's headquarters and the gradual changeover of their team cars to hybrid models.

While cycling is an environmentally friendly pastime and mode of transport, professional cycling nevertheless involves motor vehicles and travel that is not always as environmentally friendly as it could be.

The team said on its website on Tuesday that it had measured its carbon footprint and found that the team's vehicles and the energy used at its headquarters in Pamplona, Spain, created 175,000kg of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year.

Movistar said that they aim to swap their team vehicles for hybrid models to reduce CO2 emissions, while the team's headquarters will use solar panels in order to have 100 per cent renewable energy. The team also pledged to support green projects that promote the use of bicycles.

"At Abarca Sports, we want Movistar Team to be the first top-ranked team that is fully sustainable in its activities," said Miguel Grávalos, the CEO of Abarca Sports, which owns the men's and women's Movistar teams, in a video published on the team website on Tuesday.

"We're a cycling team that works for the future, from the present," added men's team manager Eusebio Unzué.

The team said that it's seeking to attain the Seal of Recognition from Spain's Ministry for Ecological Transition (MITECO) as a first step, and has already engaged its staff and riders in its efforts to be more sustainable.