Securing a place in the WorldTour after he won the 2013 Volta a Portugal, Galician rider Alex Marque has been announced as the newest signing for the Movistar team.
The 31 year old rider will move to the squad after ten years with Portuguese teams, having raced with squads such as Carvalhelhos – Boavista, Palmeiras Resort – Prio and OFM Quinta da Lixa.
Marque took victory on stage one of last year’s Vuelta a Asturias, using his strength against the clock to take the win in a solo break, and also finished third in the 2012 Spanish TT championships.
This year he was third overall in the Volta ao Alentejo, then placed second and fifth on stages of the Volta a Portugal prior to taking over the race lead with a win in the stage nine time trial.
He won the overall by four seconds, beating his OFM Quinta de Lixa team-mat Gustavo Cesar Veloso.
The Movistar team has not indicated how long the agreement is with the Pontevedra-based rider, but he will do his utmost to grab the opportunity he has been given.