The Movistar team have finalised their 2021 rosters, with 29 riders now confirmed for the men’s team after 14 riders were already named for the women’s team in November.
Movistar is one of just five major teams to have both men’s and women’s teams in the WorldTour, along with Team DSM (formerly Team Sunweb), Trek-Segafredo, Mitchelton and Groupama-FDJ.
Annemiek van Vleuten will lead the women’s Movistar squad after leaving Mitchelton-Scott. Also new for the roster are Leah Thomas and Emma Cecilie Norsgaard.
The Movistar men's squad announced it had completed its 29-rider men’s roster on Monday. New signings include Miguel Ángel López, Iván García Cortina, Gregor Mühlberger, Gonzalo Serrano and Abner González.
Lopez joins Enric Mas, Marc Soler and Alejandro Valverde as team leaders as the Spanish team continues to transform after a major shake-up in 2020 and the loss of Nairo Quintana and Mikel Landa. The team now has riders from 11 different countries, with 16 riders under the age of 26.
Still only 26, Lopez has already notched overall triumphs in the Tour de Suisse, the Volta a Catalunya and the Colombia Tour, as well as the Tour de L’Avenir.
He was also on the final podium of both the Vuelta a España and the Giro d'Italia in 2018, and finished sixth in the Tour de France this autumn in his debut at the race.
Lopez was a strong candidate for the general classification in this year’s Giro but a high-speed crash in the opening time trial saw him quit the race almost before it had begun.
The roster includes young British sprinter Gabriel Cullaigh and the USA’s Matteo Jorgenson.
Carlos Betancur left the team during 2020, with Jurgen Roelandts also retiring. Eduard Prades has moved to Delko-One Porvence and Eduardo Sepulveda to Androni Giocattoli.
Men's Movistar Team 2021:
Juan Diego Alba (Col), Jorge Arcas (Esp), Héctor Carretero (Esp), Dario Cataldo (Ita), Gabriel Cullaigh (Gbr), Iñigo Elosegui (Esp), Imanol Erviti (Esp), Iván García Cortina (Esp), Abner González (Pur), Juri Hollmann (Ger), Johan Jacobs (Sui), Matteo Jorgenson (USA), Miguel Ángel López (Col), Lluís Mas (Esp), Enric Mas (Esp), Sebastián Mora (Esp), Gregor Mühlberger (Aut), Mathias Norsgaard (Den), Nelson Oliveira (Por), Antonio Pedrero (Esp), José Joaquín Rojas (Esp), Einer Rubio (Col), Sergio Samitier (Esp), Gonzalo Serrano ( Esp), Marc Soler (Esp), Albert Torres (Esp), Alejandro Valverde (Esp), Carlos Verona (Esp) and Davide Villella (Ita).
