"It's a shame to see such a big team disappear": One of Arkéa's starlets mourns the project's sad ending
Cycling
In 2026, Movistar Team will once again begin its fight to avoid relegation from scratch. To this end, the team has prepared meticulously: finally creating an under-23 development team and making high-caliber signings in the cycling market. The most notable is undoubtedly Cian Uijtdebroeks, but Raúl García Pierna brings with him the long-term hopes of Spanish cycling.
García Pierna left Arkéa after a very strong season, becoming at 24 years old one of the most promising and exciting riders on the Spanish scene. Therefore, his arrival at Movistar Team is cause for celebration. Ultimately, one of the country's great talents joins the strongest team in Spain (and the only one among the World Tour teams).
At the start of Movistar Team's training camp for the 2026 season, Raúl García Pierna spoke with MARCA, sharing his thoughts on joining the team and his feelings about the move. He also spoke about his expectations for the upcoming season, where expectations are high.
"So far, the preparation is going quite well, and I'm very happy. Movistar Team is the highest-level team in Spain. The performance team is doing things right, and there's a group of riders, like Iván Romeo, Carlos Canal, Javier Romo,… with whom we can achieve great things. It's a project that appeals to me," Pierna began explaining.
Attention to time trials
One of the areas where Movistar's signing stands out most is in time trials. In 2022, he was crowned Spanish champion, and in the 2025 season, he won the time trial in the opening stage of the Route d'Occitanie. Therefore, much is expected of him and Iván Romeo in this discipline. Even more so considering that the Tour de France will begin with a team time trial in Barcelona.
"Iván likes to work on time trials, and that's something that appeals to me too. I was with him in the room at the World Championships [2025], but we didn't really go into much detail about it," Raúl García Pierna added.
Time trial is one of Raúl García Pierna's strong points
Saddened by the turn of events for Arkéa
Finally, the Spanish rider also commented on the disbandment of Arkéa - B&B Hotels. Even though he's moved to Movistar Team, he still feels sad to see how a team he spent two years with couldn't find funding to keep the project afloat:
"It's a structure that employed 150 people, along with their families, who depended on it for their livelihood. In the end, it's a shame to see such a big team disappear, and it's not good for the world of cycling. I was with them for two years, and they allowed me to ride two Tours de France. It's a pity," he concluded.
Read also
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment