"A guy who is going to leave a big mark on Spanish cycling, on world cycling" - JJ Rojas believes Pelayo Sanchez can be the future of Movistar Team
Cycling
On his Giro d'Italia debut and his first Grand Tour since moving to Movistar Team from Burgos - BH, Pelayo Sanchez starred, taking a stage win in the opening week and getting close to a second with more impressive breakaway showings.
In conversation with AS, Movistar Team sports director and 22-time Grand Tour rider in his own right, Jose Joaquin Rojas admitted Sanchez's performance surprised even the team. "In part no one expected this level, it's true, but we knew that Pelayo had something because seeing the numbers he moved in the concentrations and when we signed him we already knew what he was capable of," the Spaniard explains. "Pelayo is growing and we don't know where he is at the top. Hopefully he hasn't found it yet and that he still has a lot to achieve."
"The virtue that Pelayo has is that if you leave him free he is capable of anything. I think he is a stage hunter, because when he has a little more pressure he may not like it as much, but he can be like a Bettini, who when he came to the Giro d'Italia marked four or five stages and where he put his eye and put the bullet. I don't know, something like that, but comparisons are hateful," Rojas continues, clearly impressed by what he's seen so far in the 24-year-old. "He is a guy who is going to leave a big mark on Spanish cycling, on world cycling, and we hope that he will always be with us."
In total, Movistar Team has a positive Giro d'Italia. Sanchez took a stage, Einer Rubio secured a top-10 finish and Nairo Quintana was bright and attacking in the third week with only Tadej Pogacar denying him victory on stage 15. "We came with expectations of winning a stage and we achieved it with Pelayo. We have been quite close with Nairo, again with Pelayo and then we have had a super strong Einer in the mountains, who perhaps has been weighed down a lot by the time trial handicap," reflects Rojas. "Despite this, we saw a great Einer who, if he improves his time trial, could be competing in a Grand Tour."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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