Muhlberger signs for Movistar

Movistar have announced the signing of Gregor Mühlberger, with the Austrian climber joining from Bora-Hansgrohe on a three-year deal. 

Mühlberger, 26, turned professional with the German team in 2016 after winning the U23 Course de la Paix. He won the Austrian road race championship in 2017, a stage at the BinckBank Tour in 2018, and this year won the Sibiu Tour, the first race after the season hiatus. 

He has ridden six Grand Tours so far, including the last three editions of the Tour de France, and will become part of the Spanish team's three-week engine room, while targeting his own results in week-long and one-day races.

"I'm super happy to have been given this chance by the team to sign with them and profit from all the opportunities that lie ahead in the next few years," Mühlberger said. "It's a good chance to improve my skills and get better in the future, chase some results on both the toughest one-day races and some mountainous one-week races like Dauphiné or Itzulia, but also try to help the leaders as much as I can in the Grand Tours. 

"I feel like some of my best performances in previous seasons have come at the third week of Grand Tours, where I feel pretty strong, and I hope I can be there for our team leaders, put my current experience at the team's service and also learn a lot from the veterans, such as Alejandro Valverde, José Joaquín Rojas and many others. 

"There's still a lot for me to improve and learn, and I'm so happy to have this chance with the Movistar Team to grow with them and continue to get better in the next few years."

Mühlberger, who worked with Movistar's head of performance Patxi Vila while at Bora, is the Spanish team's second signing ahead of the 2021 season, after Ivan García Cortina from Bahrain McLaren. Having said goodbye to Mikel Landa and Nairo Quintana, and Richard Carapaz last winter, the team are undergoing something of a rebuild, investing in youth and expanding beyond the hispanic diaspora.

"Gregor's arrival will bring some extra experience to next year's team, thanks to his already vast experience in the WorldTour despite being still really young," said Movistar boss Eusebio Unzué.

"He's a polylvalent rider, something which is becoming increasingly important in modern cycling, and even if he's proven to be a great team rider, which is a big reinforcement in itself, I think he's more than qualified to lead the team in relevant events."