Race news

Movistar reveal roster for brand-new development team

After announcing the formation of the Movistar Team Academy in July for 2026, the inaugural roster was confirmed on Thursday morning.

October 16 2025 - 12:00 PM

Movistar riders including Iván Romeo at the Lidl Deutschland Tour 2025

Cor Vos

Movistar have revealed the first cohort of 12 riders for its newly formed Movistar Team Academy, featuring riders aged 17 to 21 from six different countries who will begin their journey with the Spanish squad’s new development team in 2026.

We present a highly inspiring group, featuring young riders with tremendous growth potential. Some are already showing impressive progress, and with the rest we will work so they follow the same path, each in their speciality," said Manuel Mateo, Sporting Director of Movistar Team Academy in an official statement released by the Spanish team.

"Our goal is to provide them with an ideal development environment where they feel at home and have the freedom they need to continue growing,” said Mateo.

The team features a mixture of riders from Europe and South America, with contracts varying, as nine riders have a contract from 2026 to 2027, whilst three riders have a contract that runs for a single season beginning in 2026.

Among the roster are several standout performers from the 2025 season, including Colombian Jhonatan Guatibonza, the Pan-American U23 champion with five victories this year, and Costa Rican Sebastián Castro, the Central American junior road champion.

Among the Spanish contingent is 18-year-old Javier Cubillas, who made his mark at the Rwanda World Championships with a combative performance before ending 15th, alongside Markel Aranaz, Eric Igual, Roger Pareta, Tomás Pombo and Ibai Villate.

There are two Italian riders in the line-up in the form of Daniele Forlin and Mattia Proietti, as well as Filip Novák of the Czech Republic and British rider Lucas Jackson, who won the Bizkaiko Itzulia, a prestigious junior Spanish stage race in July.

The academy was first announced in July as part of Movistar's strategy to strengthen the pathway from grassroots cycling to the WorldTour. It represents the fifth team under the Abarca Sports umbrella alongside Telefónica, following Movistar Team (2011), Movistar Women’s Team (2018), Movistar eTeam (2020), and Movistar Gravel Squad (2023).

Sebastián Unzué, General Manager of the project, emphasised the academy's long-term vision, stating, "Confirming this roster of 12 riders for the Movistar Team Academy is a significant step for our structure.”

“We want to offer these young athletes a professional environment where they can grow, learn, and take their first steps toward the top level. This project is born with a long-term vision, focused on supporting their sporting and personal development,” said Unzué.

With the likes of UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Visma | Lease a Bike and Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe having successful development teams, proving to be a pathway for riders such as Matthew Brennan, Movistar will be hoping that the investment in youth will serve them well in the years to come.

Movistar Team Academy roster