Ten days before their season starts with the Tour Down Under (Australia) and the Tour de San Luis (Argentina), the Movistar Team held their official 2015 season launch today in front of VIPs and media at Telefónica’s headquarters in Madrid. The 28 riders of the Blue squad showed their new outfit for the fifth season in which they will wear the green ‘M’ across the roads of the world.

After two consecutive years conquering the UCI WorldTour classification, which recognises the most complete, regular squad in the top tier, and having added Alejandro Valverde’s third career victory in the UCI standings, the Movistar Team, which includes reigning Giro d’Italia champion Nairo Quintana in its ranks, aspires to keep increasing an already long success list -116 wins since Telefónica took over, almost 800 after the team was founded in 1980-, with the Tour de France, which they have conquered seven times, as their main goal again next year. The Vuelta a España and all events in the Spanish calendar outline a race schedule that also includes the most prestigious European races, as well as visits to the Americas, Asia / Pacific and a long campaign through the Gulf (Dubai, Qatar, Oman) as biggest novelty. Brit Alex Dowsett will gather all attention from the Blues in late February as he tries to break the UCI Hour record in the London olympic velodrome.

“Having the increasing support of Telefónica by our side, as well as a group of powerful, technology-driven sponsors such as Canyon, Endura and many others, makes us really proud,” explains Unzué. ”We have a strong reference in Nairo, a man who has adapted exceptionally well to the tasks of being a team leader and progressed impressively to become a big name in the sport - it has really surprised us. Behind Quintana, there’s a group of riders young as well as experienced, ready to support him and also stand up wherever we need one of them to take over. Also, having a man like Alejandro aboard, able to contest the win in practically every race we bring him to, as well as top directors and staff - it keeps us confident that we can take another step forward and contest the win in the Tour. Fortunately, there are many other goals we can aim in cycling: the Vuelta, the classics, the hour record with Dowsett or even the WorldTour, which we conquered in the last two editions thanks to splendid team performances. We have strong reasons to be excited about 2015.”

In turn, Carlos López Blanco, Global Director of Public Affairs from Telefónica, made an overview on the efforts from the last four years and underlined the splendid 2014 season by the Blues, with 314,666 kilometers covered - almost 8 times around the world - 34 victories and great results from Nairo Quintana, Alejandro Valverde and up to 10 winning riders. López Blanco also spoke about the leading role Movistar has gained in international cycling and all projects developed by Telefónica to support and communicate the values of cycling.

The roster of the telephone squad’s 36th project remains quite stable. Four riders have joined: veteran Australian allrounder Rory Sutherland; 2014 Vuelta a España stage victor Winner Anacona, 2013 Tour de l’Avenir champion Rubén Fernández; and the most promising amateur from last year’s Spanish peloton, Marc Soler. All big names remain in Blue, with three national champions -Valverde, Ion Izagirre and Adriano Malori- into a 28-man group that averages 27 years old.

The Movistar Team has become a reference in the digital world through the last four years, having become one of the most followed elite teams in Spanish sports on social media - 350,000 fans on their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube channels. Their brandnew website and the applications Bike&Go and Vive Fan have also been made so fans can become a real part of the team.