Spanish team Movistar is getting ready for its debut in the professional racing circuit, with the first races this month in the Tour de San Luis (Argentina) and the Tour Down Under (Australia). The team has named the 13 riders that will travel to South America and Australia to tackle the first races in ten days' time.
The Tour Down under runs from January 18 to 23, the Tour de San Luis from January 17 to 23. But the team's debut will still happen in Australia, as the pre-race Cancer Council Classic is scheduled for January 16. This race, a 51km circuit race on a two-kilometer, pancake flat course, does not count towards the overall of the Tour Down Under.
The Tour Down Under then runs for six stages, covering almost 800 kilometers. Retired rider José Luis Arrieta can show his abilities as a sports director for the Movistar team. In the sprints, the team hopes for the quickness of Fran Ventoso and José Joaquín Rojas.
In the Tour de San Luis, Directeur Sportif José Luis Jaimerena leads the team in the most important stage race of South America. The team sends strong riders, including Xavi Tondo, Mauricio Soler and Pablo Lastras. Chilean Carlos Oyarzun replaces Andrey Amador. The Costa Rican is still recovering from the vicious attack by thugs suffered a few days ago while training in his home country.
The 2011 Tour de San Luis has a very mountainous profile, with two mountain top finishes - stage two's Mirador del Potrero and stage five's Mirador del Sol. On the latter mountain, Tondo took the stage victory in 2009. The 20-kilometer individual time trial is fairly long this early in the season and will be the other decisive point.
Movistar Team – Tour Down Under: Chente García Acosta, Iván Gutiérrez, David López, Ángel Madrazo, Luis Pasamontes, José Joaquín Rojas, Fran Ventoso.
Movistar Team – Tour de San Luis: Javier Iriarte, Pablo Lastras, Carlos Oyarzun (Chi), Fran Pérez, Mauricio Soler (Col), Xavi Tondo.
(All riders are from Spain except where marked.)