‘I turned down a much bigger contract’ - Vuelta champion Blasi completes major Movistar move
Movistar have confirmed the signing of reigning Vuelta Femenina champion Paula Blasi on a three-year deal from 2027, bringing one of cycling's biggest emerging talents back to a Spanish team after a breakthrough season with UAE Team ADQ.
Favourite us on Google
Paula Blasi will join Movistar in 2027 after the Spanish team confirmed a three-year agreement with the 23-year-old, ending months of speculation over her future.
The reigning Vuelta Femenina champion has enjoyed a remarkable rise through the professional ranks, but her move from UAE Team ADQ has involved more than a straightforward transfer.
According to Spanish newspaper MARCA, Movistar will pay Blasi more than €600,000 per season, while also paying €85,000 to secure her early release from UAE, where she was under contract until the end of 2027.
Blasi reportedly turned down a more lucrative offer to remain with UAE, choosing instead to continue her career with her home team.
“I turned down a much bigger contract to race where I wanted,” she told MARCA during the World Championships.
The transfer was far from straightforward. MARCA reports that Blasi had previously been committed to joining Lidl-Trek before Movistar team manager Sebastián Unzué and her agent Alex Carera, who also represents Tadej Pogačar, helped secure a change of direction.
Breakthrough season puts Blasi among cycling's elite
The size of the reported investment reflects Blasi's extraordinary 2026 campaign, which has seen her establish herself among the leading riders in the women's peloton.
Her first major breakthrough came at the Amstel Gold Race, where she attacked 26 kilometres from the finish and rode solo to victory. She followed that performance with third place at La Flèche Wallonne and fifth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
But her biggest achievement came just a week later at La Vuelta Femenina.
Racing her first Grand Tour, Blasi overturned an 18-second deficit to Anna van der Breggen on the Angliru to claim the overall victory, becoming the first Spanish rider to win the race.
Her success continued with overall victories at the CIC-Tour Féminin des Pyrénées and Volta a Catalunya, before she finished fifth at the Tour de France Femmes despite not having specifically targeted the race.
Those performances have made her one of the most sought-after riders in women's cycling, with Movistar now securing her services through 2029.
Blasi explains decision to join Movistar
Despite the reported financial sacrifices involved, Blasi believes the move offers the right environment for the next stage of her career.
“I’m at a point in my sporting career where I needed to take a different step and look for a team that believed in me, supported my goals and was as ambitious as I am,” Blasi said in Movistar's official announcement.
“I’ll be able to grow, share leadership responsibilities and learn from Marlen, which will be important for my development as an athlete. And on top of that, it’s my home team. It makes me even prouder to wear the jersey.”
Her arrival adds further strength to a Movistar squad already featuring Marlen Reusser and Liane Lippert, giving the Spanish team another contender for the biggest races on the women's calendar.
For Blasi, the immediate focus is expected to remain on the Classics and Grand Tours. Speaking to MARCA, she outlined a preferred 2027 programme featuring Strade Bianche, the Ardennes Classics, the Tour de France Femmes and La Vuelta Femenina, although her calendar has yet to be finalised.
