Spanish team Andalusia CajaSur has signed Jose Angel Gómez Marchante (Cervélo TestTeam) as a leader for their Pro Continental squad in 2010. While both teams are Pro Continental, the move is a major step down in terms of budget and horsepower from his previous team.
In 2004, Marchante finished eighth on the general classification in the Vuelta a España while riding for the Costa de Almería-Paternina team. A year later he finished second to Alexandre Vinokourov on the Dauphiné Libéré’s fifth stage that finished atop Mont Ventoux. He ended up finishing in seventh place overall in the race.
His best result this season was fifth overall in the Volta a Catalunya, a race won by compatriot Alejandro Valverde.
The team is currently at 15 riders, but if invitations to key international events are confirmed, team manager Antonio Cabello plans to increase the total to 22.