Team Movistar made official
It’s official. Caisse d’Epargne will become Team Movistar in the 2011 season. The team’s new sponsor, the Spanish telecommunications company Telefonica, has signed the contract with Abarca Sports, confirming the deal and making the team official. The announcement
was made to the Spanish press today at the Vuelta a Espana.
“With Caisse d’Epargne, we focused on the ProTour calendar and participated in as many French races as we could, but with Movistar, we’ll still give priority to the ProTour calendar and do the Spanish races,” said Movistar general secretary, Luis Abril.
Telefonica signed a three-year commitment, and is one of the largest companies to be involved in the sponsorship of a cycling team, marketing to 26 different countries and with approximately 280 million clients. In its new form, the team will be shifting
its focus from the French to the Spanish races, despite Frenchman Yvon Ledanois remaining as one of the directors of the team. Eusabio Unzué, manager of Abarca Sports, has stressed the importance of such a big sponsor.
“This project has involved a lot of people and friendship has been an important factor in sealing a deal,” said Unzué. “We hope to have Alejandro Valverde back in the team in 2012, and the year after, Alberto Contador will be out of contract again.”
Valverde is currently serving a two-year doping suspension, while Caisse d’Epargne’s best rider in 2010, Luis Leon Sanchez, is moving to Rabobank in 2011. Team Movistar is toying with the idea of setting up a feeder team in South America, in order to fulfil
their goal of growing in the medium-term, without putting too much pressure on their current 25-rider roster.
“We’re considering the possibility of creating a second team that would be Movistar America,” said Unzué. “It would be a continental team with headquarters in Colombia and 15 promising riders from all the countries of South America where Movistar has commercial
interests. It would be a feeder team for the Movistar Pro Tour team. This has to be decided soon.”
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