Movistar Team (Continental Team)

Creation

Created for the 2011 season, as a subsidiary of the Movistar Team, a Spanish team of UCI ProTour status.

The telephone company, as the new sponsor of the Spanish team, decided because of commercial interests in Latin America, to create a continental team, since virtually they could not compete in America. Because the rules regarding categories UCI ProTour teams can only compete in races that are category 1 or. HC (Tour de San Luis, Tour of California, Philadelphia International Championship, Quebec Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Montreal)

With the creation of continental team they have access to all other races as most international races in South and Central America are category 2.2.

The team is based in Bogotá, Colombia, and the management team is headed by former Colombian coach Libardo Leyton while responsible for the medical part is a former professional rider Alvaro Mejía.

It had the same infrastructure, both technical and human, its European counterpart and most of the staff of cyclists from Colombia. Above all aimed at young cyclists although experientes. According to the Director General Eusebio Unzue, the team's goal was subsidiary to participate in all races of the UCI America Tour where the company is present and at the same time attract young talent to promote to the ProTour team.

Just created the team, the UCI released a fictional ranking by which race organizers (so .HC, as .1 and .2) should invited the 3 best teams of their continent. As the Movistar Team Continental at the time was number one on the American ranking in spite of not debuted yet (because the computed points of their hired cyclists) they had secured the participation in all racing UCI America Tour 2011, but the team saw its debut delayed due to the formalities for entering the material cycling in Colombia.

In early May, the team concentrated for the first time and ran their first race, the Clasico de Girardota, won by Marvin Angarita. Then the team made their official debut in the Tour of Antioquia, where Oscar Soliz was the best placed in overall in the 10th position.

On 2 June, the squad was presented officially. And in 12 June and began the team's participation in the Tour of Colombia, where Byron Guama achieved the first official victory.

Disappearance of the continental team

In two years the squad ran 7 races out of Colombia, being three in 2011 (Tour of Venezuela, Vuelta a Chiriquí and Tour of Costa Rica) and four in 2012 (Vuelta al Tachira Vuelta del Uruguay, Classic International Tulcán y Vuelta al Mundo Maya).

Although the team's goal was be part of the principal races of the Latin American calendar, this could not be accomplished for different reasons;, organizational, logistical, legal as well as geographical. Therefore, in October 22, 2012 it was announced that the team disappeared in 2013, being the last race that participated the Vuelta al Mundo Maya.

After the disappearance announced in January 2013, Movistar Colombia and Ecuador confirmed that unite forces to give continuity to the team but this time not linked to Movistar Team. With Bogota as the team's headquarters and Libardo Leyton as general manager. The team was not registered with the UCI, becoming amateur and contesting races only in Colombia and Ecuador.

From 2014 Movistar Team America happens to be sponsored only by Movistar Colombia, as Movistar Ecuador began to fund along with other sponsors the nascent Movistar Team Ecuador. The Ecuadorian Byron Guamá also left the ranks of the team to wear the colors of first Ecuadorian continental category team.

Resurgence of the continental team

From the 2015, the team now named Movistar Team, recovered the continental category, with a roster of 10 cyclist, also the world champion para-cyclist Álvaro Galvis.

Team roster

As of 26 December 2015.