Movistar

Spain | Team website

Having been around in some guise since 1980, the Spanish super-team have seen it all, from 13 Grand Tour wins to their fair share of doping scandals. 

They got off to a slow start under Movistar sponsorship in 2011, but welcomed back Alejandro Valverde from his two-year suspension and signed young GC prospect Nairo Quintana in 2012. Years of success followed soon after, but the Spanish team has struggled somewhat in the last couple of years.

Richard Carapaz won the 2019 Giro d'Italia, but soon switched teams for Ineos Grenadiers at the beginning of 2020, leaving Movistar's roster largely devoid of any real Grand Tour challenger.

Mikel Landa, Nairo Quintana and Andrey Amador also all left the team at the end of 2019, leaving Valverde as the only star rider on the squad for 2020. 

The veteran stalwart has managed to maintain his incredible consistency throughout his career, but at 41-years-old it is unlikely he'll challenge for major races in the way he used to. Despite that, he has an excellent palmares in the one day races. 

He has won Liége-Bastogne-Liége four time, La Fléche Wallonne a staggering five times and taken 12 Vuelta stage wins and 4 stages at the TdF. And of course this was then rounded off by winning the World Championships in 2018.

Marc Soler and Enric Mas are both strong performers with wins to their names in 2021, but the loss of Vuelta a España stage 18 winner - the team's only Grand Tour victory last season - Miguel Ángel López is another loss to the once-formidable entity.

In 2020, Movistar suffered a major fall from their once indomitable position on the UCI World Team Ranking, and they managed to regain some credibility last season. However, they still ended up finishing thirteenth overall, a major setback in their aspirations to fight for Grand Tours again. 

Retiring at the end of the season too is the irreplaceable Valverde, causing some in the peloton to question their chances of challenging at all in the next couple of years.

Movistar Team 2022 squad

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)
Enric Mas (ESP)
Lluís 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)
Davide Villella (ITA)