Andalucian rider gets vote of confidence after solid Tour de France debut
Left stranded when the Euskaltel Euskadi team lost its sponsors and a rescue deal with Fernando Alonso fell through, Juanjo Lobato has been given a lifeline by the Movistar team.
The 24 year old Spanish sprinter has inked a deal and, after spending two years with the Andalucia – Caja Granada plus one with Euskaltel Euskadi, he will now spend the next three seasons on the team of Alejandro Valverde.
Described by the team as the top Spanish sprinter plus one of the most promising talents in the WorldTour, Movistar points to his previous top ten finishes in the European and world under 23 road race championships as an indication of the ability he has.
Since turning pro in 2011, Lobato has taken victories each year. He won the Circuito de Getxo in 2011, then took two stages last year in the Tour de Chile plus one in the Tour of Qinghai Lake.
This season has seen another victory in the Circuito de Getxo plus stage two in the Vuelta a Castilla y León. He was also second and third on stages of the Bayern Rundfarht, fourth in the Clásica de Almería, fifth on a stage of the Tour de Romandie and sixth in the Vuelta a la Rioja.
Importantly, Lobato had a successful Tour de France debut, taking the King of the Mountains jersey on day one and also netting stage finishes of fifth, seventh and ninth in bunch sprints.
Eager to start the next phase of his career, Lobato will meet up with his team-mates at the Movistar meeting today near Pamplona.