Movistar under review: Key riders leaving, but rising star Castrillo brings hope in challenging times for Spain

Now that the team has had to do without the prolific Alejandro Valverde for several years, there has gradually been room for other Movistar riders to shine in one-day races. New names emerged. And yet, the results of this season, purely in terms of victories, are meager for the Spaniards. Circuito de Getxo (Jon Barrenetxea), Clasica Jaén (Oier Lazkano) and the Trofeo Pollenca (Pelayo Sanchez) were, besides the Spanish title of Alex Aranburu, the only wins in one-day races.

Can Movistar be blamed for that? Maybe. Aranburu still managed two second places (Eschborn-Frankfurt and Grand Prix Wallonie), and Lazkano secured a third place in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in Belgian Flanders. Enric Mas only recorded a fifth place in Lombardy and an eighth place in the Giro dell'Emilia. Beyond that, however, the score board remains quite empty.

What about the returning Nairo Quintana? No notable results in a climbing classic. The normally reliable Ivan Garcia Cortina? No top ten finishes in major classics. Fernando Gaviria? Not even a supporting role in the sprinters' spring. Movistar is not a team that focuses fully on one-day races, it must be said. The conclusion is that the team was dependent on a few developing riders for results in these races, several of whom are also leaving as we head towards 2025.

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Movistar's grand tour year is also marked by some discomforts. Quintana was unable to really impress at any time and rode a fairly anonymous Giro and Vuelta, where he then focused on mountain points or took on a domestique role. In the Giro, compatriot Einer Rubio finished seventh in the overall classification, which was a decent performance amidst a strong field of competitors. The biggest gap, however, remained the Tour de France in 2024.

Enric Mas once again imploded as team leader in that grand tour. This could not be compensated with a stage win, although Gaviria came very close once. Mas salvaged his season with a podium finish in his beloved Vuelta. That sums it up for the cheerful Spaniard: the Tour has not yet proven to be the right domain for the four-time podium finisher in Spain to take a real step towards the top. Mas was also fifth in the Tour of Catalonia, seventh in Switzerland and sixth in Romandy. Not great, but certainly not bad.

Among the otherwise fairly anonymous performances in the classifications were some nice highlights. Take Sanchez's stage win in the Giro, against a strong Julian Alaphilippe in the gravel stage. The Spaniard established his name there as a stage hunter. Aranburu won a stage in the Baloise Belgium Tour, Gaviria once sprinted to a stage win in the tour of his home country, and Will Barta also contributed with a stage win in Valencia. That was it. The golden days of Movistar are over, but when looking at the overall picture, it is quite modest.

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Sometimes it is difficult to assess the Spanish team, as its many past successes are still fresh in our memory. The fact is that Movistar in 2024 is a team that lingers at the lower end of the WorldTour. Collecting UCI points in smaller races and scraping by in the major ones is the approach. The (current and former) editorial staff of IDLProCycling.com ultimately believe that Movistar did not achieve sufficient results, and so the Spaniards receive a final score of 4.8.

They showed themselves race after race, some for longer, others really only in 2024: Alex Aranburu and Oier Lazkano. They brought color to many (small) races this season for Movistar, but will move to other teams in 2025. That can rightly be called a major setback. Lazkano is transferring to Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, and Aranburu signed with WorldTour competitor Cofidis. This means a significant dent in the blue jerseys' one-day ambitions.

These are not the only departures, by the way. Iván Sosa is taking a step back to join Equipo Kern Pharma, Sergio Samitier is following Aranburu to Cofidis. Rémi Cavagna, who disappointed in his first and only year with Movistar, is leaving for Groupama-FDJ. The same applies to Johan Jacobs. That means that the team loses quite a bit of experience and quality heading into 2025. What does Eusébio Unzué get in return?

One name really stands out: Pablo Castrillo. The Spanish rising star, 23 years old, scored two brilliant stage wins in the Vuelta and is considered a great climbing talent. The departure of Lazkano and Aranburu will also be compensated by Orluis Aular, who scored some nice victories at lower levels in 2024. Add to that Natnael Tesfatsion, who is a relatively young, versatile rider. Jefferson Cepeda is the climbing addition for 2025.

Incoming: Pablo Castrillo (Equipo Kern Pharma), Jefferson Cepeda, Orluis Aular (both Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Natnael Tesfatsion (Lidl-Trek), Diego Pescador (GW Erco Shimano).

Outgoing (provisional list): Oier Lazkano (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Sergio Samitier, Alex Aranburu (both Cofidis), Johan Jacobs, Rémi Cavagna (both Groupama-FDJ), Iván Ramiro Sosa (Equipo Kern Pharma), Vinícius Rangel (not yet known).

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Once upon a time, Movistar competed with the teams of Chris Froome and Alberto Contador for the Tour and Vuelta victories. Nowadays, Movistar must mainly compete with teams like Cofidis, Astana and dsm-firmenich PostNL to score points and stay in the WorldTour. Part of that will have to be done through general classifications, for which the team will rely on the skills of Enric Mas and Einer Rubio. Expect these men in the top ten of smaller tours and, if things go well, at the top of the Giro or the Vuelta. For the Tour, a top ranking simply seems out of reach.

As previously mentioned, the departure of Lazkano and Aranburu is a setback. They scored many points for Movistar in smaller races. The pressure on Sanchez and probably Castrillo for stage hunting and achieving honorary places will increase as a result. Newcomer Aular could also play a role in those races. Movistar will hope that Castrillo can replicate his feats from 2024 in the new year. Stage wins in grand tours have become much more realistic with his arrival.

Beyond that, it's a wait-and-see game, and there are many question marks at Movistar. Riders who underperformed in 2024 might recover in the new year. Can Quintana still push a bit and collect some honorary places? Will Garcia Cortina improve in the spring? Will Gaviria, with a bit more luck, win more races? Not to forget that there is also plenty of potential in the team with a man like Davide Formolo. On paper, Movistar should be able to do much better with the lineup set for 2025. End of story.

1. Jorge Arcas
2. Orluis Aular
3. Jon Barrenetxea
4. Will Barta
5. Carlos Canal
6. Pablo Castrillo
7. Jefferson Cepeda
8. Davide Cimolai
9. Davide Formolo
10. Ivan Garcia Cortina
11. Fernando Gaviria
12. Ruben Guerreiro
13. Enric Mas
14. Lorenzo Milesi
15. Manlio Moro
16. Gregor Mühlberger
17. Mathias Norsgaard
18. Nelson Oliveira
19. Antonio Pedrero
20. Diego Pescador
21. Nairo Quintana
22. Iván Romeo
23. Javier Romo
24. Einer Rubio
25. Pelayo Sanchez
26. Gonzalo Serrano
27. Natnael Tesfatsion
28. Albert Torres