"If people don’t like how we celebrate, they better get used to it" - Iván Romeo puts his foot down and takes Vuelta a Andalucia title

The Vuelta a Andalucía 2026 is already in the books. For Movistar Team, it marked a return to an overall classification win after three years. The Spanish squad celebrated Iván Romeo’s triumph, sealed in the yellow jersey with a strong ride on the final stage, defending his lead after an attack from Tom Pidcock, who took the stage in Lucena.

The rider from Valladolid took over the lead after winning stage 2. From then on, his teammates kept him safe day after day, right through to the finale in Lucena. The two ascents of Alto de la Primera Cruz were tricky, yet the team managed the stage with authority.

At the finish, no one could stop Tom Pidcock from winning, but Iván Romeo crossed in the chase group just 12 seconds back, alongside Andreas Leknessund (his closest GC rival), in sixth place. The finish left him on cloud nine, as his post-race comments made clear.

“A very beautiful day, I’ll remember this race all my life: my first overall title. Honestly, it was a big goal for this season, and sometimes it comes when you least expect it,” Iván Romeo began. The Spanish rouleur benefitted from his aggressive tactics, and a strong set of climbing performances in the second half of the race to defend his yellow jersey.

“Without a time trial maybe it wasn’t what I had in mind, but my form was excellent. And the team today was not a 10, but an 11. I did do nothing else but suffer on the last climb to win the overall,” added Iván Romeo, admitting he hadn’t initially targeted the general classification at this Vuelta a Andalucía.

“The plan was to stay with Andreas Leknessund, who was my closest rival on GC. I knew that, in my current shape, it would be hard for the others to take much time. I had 51 seconds on Pidcock, and when he attacked with 5,5 km to go I didn’t have the legs to respond. I knew I had to crest the climb more or less close, and that’s what I did.”

It's a big step for the 22-year old, who takes the first GC win of his career here; and adds to his already impressive palmarès as a second-year elite professional. “We worked a lot this winter to make a big step up this season. The goal was to reach this level and fight with the best. So far everything is going that way, and we hope it continues,” he continued.

Finally, Iván Romeo had a message for those who, in recent weeks, have criticized how he and his teammates celebrate victories:

“In this team we’re all mates. If I hadn’t won today, Jefferson [Alveiro] Cepeda could have because he was up the road. But he devoted himself to closing every gap perfectly. That’s who we are, a tight unit, and if people don’t like how we celebrate, they better get used to it,” concluded the 2026 Vuelta a Andalucía winner.