VALVERDE SIGNS WITH MOVISTAR
Alejandro Valverde finalized a deal with Movistar after negotiations advanced with recent talk on his return to the telephone team.
Valverde, the UCI’s top rider on the day of his “unfair” ban from racing, will meet the squad for their conditioning session in Madrid to prepare for the cycling season. (Interesting Visconti article from cycling news explains how the Italian will race in the classics.)
COBO SIGNS WITH MOVISTAR
Expobill Dec 30, 2011 Source: Cycling News
The 2011 Vuelta España winner Juan Jose Cobo has agreed to a 2 year deal with Movistar. This is Cobo’s second stint with the recycling team. Both Unzue Eusebio and Cobo are very excited over the addition to our deep squad. “I am very pleased as Movistar Team is one of the best teams in the world and will give me the opportunity to be in the biggest races on the calendar,” Cobo said. “In 2010 I ran to Unzué’s orders and things did not go well. I think we were both left disappointed by that and I’m sure everything will be better. I am excited and eager to be ready with my new teammates.”
JJ Cobo and Alejandro Valverde have won the last two Vuelta in the past 3 years.
Karpets to Movistar, Bruseghin extends!
Vladimir Karpets rejoins Movistar for a 2 year dealwith the cycling club, Karpets, 31 rode for iBanteso.com in 2003 and left Caisse d’Epargne in 2008 to ride with Katusha.
Marzio Bruseghin has re-signed for another year. He was one of the best riders for Movistar and finished strong in the Vuelta Espana 2011. Movistar will need his leadership for the next cycling season.
2011 Final UCI Rankings 37 INTXAUSTI ELORRIAGA Benat ESP19860320 118 45 FARIA DA COSTA Rui Alberto POR19861005 101 48 ROJAS GIL Jose Joaquin ESP19850608 95 55 TONDO VOLPINI Xavier ESP19781105 90 70 VENTOSO Francisco José ESP19820506 70 97 LASTRAS GARCIA Pablo ESP19760120 36 101 LOPEZ GARCIA David ESP19810513 32 111 KIRYIENKA Vasili BLR19810628 26 112 BRUSEGHIN Marzio ITA19740615 26 131 ARROYO DURAN David ESP19800107 18 168 SOLER Mauricio COL19830114 6 207 SAMOILAU Branislau BLR19850525 2 230 AMADOR BAKKAZAKOVA Andrey CRC19860829 1 13 MOVISTAR TEAM (MOV) ESP 474
From the Daily Peloton
Movistar’s Mauricio Soler Returns Home
Four months after his accident, the Movistar Team rider goes back to his home in Pamplona, where he’s expected to undergo a long rehab prior to returning to Colombia at an unknown future date.
Good news keep happening during the long recovery in which Mauricio Soler is immerse since he got into a tremendous crash during the Tour de Suisse on June 16th. The Colombian rider from Movistar Team has left the Clinica Universitaria de Navarra on Friday -still not discharged and free to do normal physical activity-, Soler was admitted on July 9th after spending his first two weeks of intensive care in the Swiss Hospital St. Gallen.
After various satisfactory operations during the last days, Soler’s recovery, still has to undergo a long, hard way, but he is on the right path that has already allowed to go back home to Pamplona, where he will stay for an undetermined period while he continues doing rehab in the hospital.
The Colombian rider has recovered more than 20 kg lost after the accident and is happy about his progress.
“I feel improved every single day, though it’s true that some days I seem to step back, and that always discourages you. For example, I’m concerned I get tired too soon when walking”.
“He gets tired because his self-expectation level is too high,” notes Patricia, his inseparable wife, staying with him during the recovery process. “Doctors tell us his spirit of a cyclist is also doing well for his recovery.” Soler confirms it: “I’m putting all my energies on this, but it has to be this way, I don’t see any other one.”
The Colombian and his environment are now focused on his physical recovery, leaving a possible return to competition aside. “We have to be patient, only time will tell about that. It would be fantastic to return to riding, but now I’m most interested in my own recovery.”
Jose Serpa (Androni) and Mauricio Soler (Movistar) Photo: © Luis Barbosa
Movistar Team doctor Alfredo Zuñiga shared that opinion: “What we’re concerned about now is the personal side, not the sporting one. For him, returning to riding his bike is a motivation, but it’s still too soon to know whether it’ll be possible or not. That’s something nobody can assure. For the time being, his progress is still favorable and on the right path, but the rehab has still many months left. The best thing is that all steps are moving forward, and his progression since he came to Pamplona has been surprisingly good.”
A day in Mauricio’s life
Hours before he leaves the hospital, we make a review with Mauricio and Patricia of what their day-by-day routine for Soler during the last weeks in the Navarran hospital, the couple praises for the attentions given by the team directed by doctor Murie.
“Mauricio wakes up early,” comments Patricia, “at 6 am, and from 7 on we get started and I help him put on his clothes. He’s more and more autonomous now and can brush his teeth and shave his face with no help required.
He has breakfast at 9, and soon the therapist comes to take him into a first rehab session on the bed and walking around the hospital’s corridors.” When I come back, and depending on my mood, I read the newspapers or surf the net to follow all the news, especially the ones from Colombia,” explains Mauricio, “before lunch is served at 1 PM”. At 2 pm, it’s time for the speech therapist, and at 3 o’clock, the second rehab session starts:
“We do gym works three days per week, and swimming pool for the other two,” says Soler.
”There, we get all body parts working and also walk when we’re not in the water.”
After that, an evening snack, a visit to the chapel, some walk around the park to breathe fresh air from time to time and, at night, what really gives them energy day by day: a Skype connection with the young Juan Mauricio, nicknamed Cachetes, whose picture prevails on his father’s chamber at the hospital, and who sees his admirable progresses with only 14 months of age.
A routine which is set to be interrupted from now on, Soler still having to go from home in Pamplona to the medical center to continue with his rehab for several more weeks because continuing with the process in a clinic in Bogotá, the paperwork already started to take him to Colombia, is dated, but still not confirmed for the coming months.
Last but not least, the Solers want to thank for all wholehearted support received from all parts of the world.
“I thank everyone who sent us messages,” said Mauricio.
”Don’t think they don’t arrive here; because they really do, and they helped me a lot to go forward.”
His wife emphasizes that attitude: “Ever since he was at the hospital in Switzerland, we got so much help. I remember a nurse coming one day with a big tower of letters from Belgium, the Netherlands, the United States, of course from Colombia too… and they didn’t stop coming. We will always save those letters with us, because they gave us big motivation for such hard moments. The same counts for all visits from teammates, from riders from other squads… all of them were really close to him. All that happened to us has been very sad, but beautiful at the same time, because we could feel support from so many people.”
PRERZ FRACTURES COLLARBONE
Movistar Team received bad news when x-rays showed a crack in Fran Perez‘s right collarbone suffered in a crash at the 40km to go mark. Fran was immediately treated for a head wound that produced a cut on the head. He was then transported to Amphia Molengracht hospital in Breda were his head wound was stitched and treated. X-rays confirmed a broken right collar bone. Fran joined our team in 2005 for Illes Baleares and has 5 pro victories in his cycling career. This is the second time Fran has suffered a broken collarbone, the last was while train training on his mountainbike in the Carrascoy mountain, near Murcianack in November 2006.
We wish Fran Perez a speedy recovery and a good night sleep!
Rubin Plaza had to withdraw from the Eneco Tour in stage 1 due to fatigue. Rubin retired at the feeding zone, obviously worn out from a tough Tour de Pologne he recently raced last week. Get some rest, Rubin- Movistar will sign more riders soon!
Beñat abandons tour stage 8
Beñat finishing a recent stage in the tour de france
Beñat Intxausti, victim of a fall at the beginning of the Tour, has been suffering from a small fracture in the head of the radius of its right elbow, has abandoned the 2011 Tour d’ France. The Movistar rider received a magnetic resonance image in a hospital of Chateauroux Friday, the x-rays revealed the existence of a bony injury. Beñat finished strong with the main group of riders 3 minutes behind the winner in stage 7. He was 18 minutes behind in the overall classification and in the young riders jersey, in which he set goal for during training back in April. Beñat most likely will go back Spain to receive proper treatment for the broken bone and resume his training for the upcoming races Movistar will partake thought the remainder of the season. We wish him well and back on the bike very soon!
Movistar extends 4 riders contracts and nears a deal with Alejandro Valverde
Alejandro riding in Mallorca back in january
The Movistar Team extends the contracts of Andrey Amador, Pablo Lastras, and Sergio Pardilla. The exciting and most anticipated news today is the three-year contract possibility with Alejandro Valverde who has been racing with us since 1995.
The extended contracts are the “reward for good performances throughout the 2011 season in the blue colours,” Esubi
Amador, 24, the first Costa Rican ever to start a Tour de France. Andrey revered quickly from a bike robbery while training back in January to open his season in the Mallorca Challenge, and has ridden a full schedule of races before the Tour de France. His best results were fourth in the GP Llodio and the Vuelta a la Rioja.
Pardilla, 27, Giro d’Italia rider for Movistar. The Spanish climber who already has 11 pro victories, signs for another year with the cycling team
Pablo Lastras has signed up for another two years extending his stay with the cycling team for 16 years, the most of any rider. Pablo finished 38th in this year’s Giro d”italia.
JJ ROJAS WINS SPANISH Elite Men Road Race!
Movistar JJ Rojas wins Spanish National Championship
Today was a great day for Team Movistar Cycling as José Joaquín Rojas (Movistar) out sprinted Alberto Contador to win the Spanish national road race read more>>>>
13 riders from Team Movistar will compete for the Spanish Elite Road championship map today including last year’s winner Iván Gutiérrez, and last year’s runner up Fran Ventosa. The race will feature José Joaquín Rojas, Fran Pérez, Ángel Madrazo, Imanol Erviti, David López, Beñat Intxausti, David Arroyo, Chente García Acosta, Sergio Pardilla, Luis Pasamontes, Pablo Lastras, Javier Iriarte, Jesús Herrada and Enrique Sanz, as well as Alberto Contador who competed in the time trial. I am currently gathering information on a start time and maybe results within the hour. WATCH THE VIDEO.
Congrats LL Sanchez!
I would write more, but im too happy over JJ’s wins and the heavy heart for the past month’s occurrences, LL will alway be one of us!
Benat will ride in the 2011 Tour D’ France
Beñat Intxausti to make Tour debut debut in shadow of Xavier Tondo tragedy
Beñat Intxausti says racing the Tour de France next month is the best thing he can do to try to move past the horrific experience of being on the scene when Xavier Tondo died in Spain on May 23rd.
Beñat Intxausti warming up
Tondo, who was supposed to be Movistar’s team leader for the Tour de France, died in the arms of Intxausti, who could only watch in horror at the unfolding events.“I was very down for two weeks. Later, I tried to concentrate on the bike, to try to forget about everything, but it’s not easy. It’s something that you put inside you. It’s not easy to forget the memory and the image of what I saw,” Intxausti told El Diario Vasco. “Between everything that happened, I didn’t feel like doing anything.”The 25-year-old admits he will not be at his best when he lines up for the Tour, but says getting back to racing is the best way to honor Tondo and to try to overcome the tragedy.“To forget it? Impossible. But I have to try to move forward, what else can I do?” he said. “I won’t go into the Tour in the best form or the best mental state. I am better now than I was a few weeks ago. For many days, all I could think about is what I saw, in how all this happened. Now I have small flashbacks, but things are getting better.”Intxausti said attending an emotional ceremony and funeral for Tondo helped him to try to put closure on the tragic events. Intxausti said he would have liked to be making his Tour debut under dramatically different circumstances.“How am I arriving at the Tour? Not at all how I would have liked,” said. “My preparation was disrupted. I went days without training after what happened to Tondo.“I went through everything for two weeks,” he continued. “The idea was to go to the Dauphiné, to find the race rhythm, but I wasn’t in physical or mental shape to go.“I will start the Tour with respect and fear. It’s the first time I am going to race. Last year, I started the Vuelta with a lot of hope and motivation, but things went badly. It’s a race that demands a lot of respect. I don’t know how well I can do, but logically, I’d like to do it well. Things don’t start to get hard until the 12th day, but first you have to arrive there.”
Movistar Team doctor Alfredo Zúñiga reports on the latest improvements on Soler’s condition: “His status is getting better very slowly, but he keeps taking small steps and the doctors are thinking of taking him out of the Intensive Care Unit. Due to this, we have started to all arrangements to take him back to Pamplona (Spain). He’s not into coma anymore, but is kept under a high drowsiness. He spends most of the time asleep, but when he has moments of lucidity, he obeys to easy orders. The checks over him still don’t remark on any injury at peripheral or medular levels, but this is something we can’t rule out at the moment. The lung problems are completely under control and he doesn’t need artificial respiration, he breathes by himself. The rest of his injuries are also going through a positive progress. It’s going to be a long, slow process yet, so some weeks can go by with no major news.”
By Associated Press, Published: July 1
Doctors began waking him from the coma last week but said it could take several days before he regains consciousness.
The Colombian professional cyclist seriously injured in a fall while racing in the Tour de Suisse on June 16 is out of danger, according to team doctor Alfredo Zuniga.However Juan Mauricio Soler will need to spend a few more days in intensive care at a hospital in St Gallen, Zuniga from the Movistar team said on the team’s homepage.
The 28-year-old athlete suffered a fractured skull, a broken ankle and lung injuries. He was placed in an artificial coma the day after the accident.Soler was gradually woken from the coma and will undergo more tests and observation to determine whether he has suffered any neurological damage.
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