Movistar does not yet have its own development team, but that is about to change. The squad had already announced its plans for 2026 earlier, and now we also know the roster of Team Movistar Academy for the upcoming cycling season.
"The team is being launched with the mission to strengthen the foundations of cycling and facilitate the transition of young talents to the highest levels of the UCI WorldTour," reads the statement on the Spanish telecom squad's team site. "With this initiative, the team from Navarra expands its sporting infrastructure. We aim to become a leader in guiding promising riders."
"It is a very inspiring roster, consisting of young riders with enormous growth potential," says Manuel Mateo, sporting director of Movistar Team Academy, enthusiastically. "Some riders have already made impressive progress. Our goal is to provide the riders with an ideal development environment where they feel at home and have the freedom to keep growing."
General manager Sebastián Unzué speaks of an 'important step'. "We want to offer these young athletes a professional environment where they can grow, learn, and take their first steps towards the top. This project is born from a long-term vision, focused on supporting their sporting and personal development, keeping Movistar’s core values in mind."
The continental team’s roster includes six Spaniards (Markel Aranaz Seco, Javier Cubillas Salvador, Eric Iguel Ubeda, Roger Pareta Sala, Tomas Pombo Alvarez, and Ibai Villate Momeñe), Italians Daniele Forlin and Mattia Proietti Gagliardoni, Brit Lucas Jackson, Czech Filip Novák (his brother Pavel will join the main squad from next year), Colombian Alexander Jonathan Guatibonza Becerra, and Sebastian Castro from Costa Rica.
Movistar is certainly not the first WorldTeam with its own development squad. Teams like Visma | Lease a Bike, Alpecin-Deceuninck, UAE Emirates XRG, and Groupama-FDJ preceded the Spanish squad. In women’s cycling, teams like UAE Team ADQ and Fenix-Deceuninck have their own development structures.
