At Movistar Team, the seeds of change have been growing for several years. The new generation of riders led by Ivan Romeo, Javier Romo, Carlos Canal, Jon Barrenetxea and Pablo Castrillo deserved to see El Día Menos Pensado – the documentary series linked to the team over the past five years – return after a two-year break.
Season five is now available to all Movistar+ users. From Monday, January 19, the first three episodes can be watched. Our Spanish language sister channel CiclismoAlDia were able to attend the official presentation at Espacio Movistar on Gran Via in Madrid, where the focus was on Eusebio Unzue, manager of the Spanish team, and Perico Delgado.
The two great figures of Spanish cycling starred in the exclusive preview of episode one of the new season, once again fronted by journalist Monica Marchante. After a brief photocall, the media quickly moved into the screening room.
When the lights went out and attention turned to the big screen, Unzue and Delgado stepped out of the spotlight and it passed to Ivan Romeo and Enric Mas. As expected, the two Movistar Team leaders took up most of the screen time in this opening episode, delivering several standout moments.
The episode began by focusing on Romeo, who despite his young age is already a key leader at Movistar. The footage made it clear that personality is something he has in abundance. The first images came from the UAE Tour, where he finished just seconds away from a place on the overall podium, which was won by Tadej Pogacar.
That race showed that the young rider from Valladolid could have a very high ceiling as a professional. At the same time, aware of Romeo’s youth, the documentary then showed him back in his home city, playing basketball with a friend. Inside every star there is still a human being who suffers, laughs, enjoys life and switches off from the brutal demands of cycling.
As mentioned, the episode alternated its focus between Ivan Romeo and Enric Mas. The Balearic rider’s turn came with images from Itzulia, where he finished second overall to claim his second consecutive podium in a WorldTour stage race.
Eusebio Unzue and Perico Delgado in discussion
However, the most talked-about moment involving Enric Mas at the Tour of the Basque Country was not that result. Any dedicated cycling fan will know the scene. On the final stage, while Mas was mounting an epic comeback in the general classification, he found himself face-to-face with Joao Almeida at the decisive moment.
At that point, the Portuguese rider virtually had the yellow jersey secured. For that reason, and as happens in many races, Enric asked Joao if he could “give” him the stage. That gesture could have ended a drought of almost three years without a victory for the Balearic rider. But his bad luck was that a TV motorbike picked up the conversation.
That day sparked a storm of reaction on X, formerly Twitter, with all kinds of opinions about what had happened. That is why seeing Enric Mas, Jose Joaquin Rojas and other team members later joking about it is such a good touch. Like the images of Romeo playing basketball, it helps to humanise a team leader who is so often criticised.
The penguins and the Tour de France
In the final part of the episode, after focusing on the two leaders, the opening chapter of El Día Menos Pensado turned to the new group of Spanish riders coming through strongly: Ivan Romeo, Javier Romo, Carlos Canal, Jon Barrenetxea and Pablo Castrillo.
The screening explained why they are known as the team’s “penguins”, an internal joke linked to the penguins from Madagascar that drew laughter across the room. The five are serious professionals, but also a close group of friends who are simply living their dream as elite cyclists.
To finish, the hook for the next episode could hardly have been better. The final images already pointed towards the Tour de France. That edition arrived with huge hope for Movistar: Ivan Romeo was coming off a big stage win at the Dauphine against Mathieu van der Poel, Florian Lipowitz and the rest of the breakaway on stage three, while Enric Mas arrived after two WorldTour podiums.
But as is well known, things did not go well from the very start. The Tour de France has always been a difficult race for Enric, and on top of that came physical problems whose origin was unclear at the time.
Stage 12 to Hautacam was circled in red on Enric Mas’s calendar. With Jose Joaquin Rojas and the ever-charismatic Chente Garcia Acosta – who will have a bigger role in later episodes, as confirmed to the press by the series director – in the team car, they were left stunned by a message from the Balearic rider on the first decisive climb of the day.
Then came the fade to black, leaving the media eager to see more of this new season of El Día Menos Pensado.
As a personal verdict, this is a series that any cycling fan, not just supporters of Movistar Team, should give a chance. The 2025 season, even though the team avoided relegation, was not easy. The work was solid, but the results did not follow. How did they deal with that behind the scenes? To find out, you will have to keep watching a series that is back – and maybe back to stay.
Jorge BorregueroWriter
Jorge Borreguero is a journalist with a degree from the Complutense University of Madrid and has been a writer for Cyclinguptodate and Ciclismoaldia since early 2023. In this role, he has played a key part in the evolution of the website, particularly as a specialist covering Movistar Team. He regularly writes race reports, analytical pieces, and in-depth features about the team, and has conducted exclusive interviews and attended multiple team presentations, providing readers with firsthand insights into one of the leading professional cycling squads.
Throughout his career, Jorge has maintained a strong focus on sports journalism, gaining experience across a variety of disciplines, including basketball and football. However, his current work is almost entirely dedicated to cycling, contributing extensively to Ciclismoaldia and its sister website Cyclinguptodate. For these platforms, he combines thorough research with detailed reporting to deliver high-quality content, ranging from race previews and results to expert analysis of teams and riders.
Jorge’s reporting is marked by accuracy, depth, and a commitment to providing readers with reliable and authoritative information. His direct engagement with teams, athletes, and events ensures that his coverage reflects firsthand knowledge and professional insight. Through his work, he has established himself as a trusted voice in professional cycling journalism, bridging the gap between the sport and its global audience while maintaining rigorous editorial standards.
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- Sure, little fella.awp02-11-2026
- You'll be the ongoing joke of 2027 with anything you post here!frieders302-11-2026
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- Hey PogIFanGirl...wipe that cream from your lips! You're ever loving drooling and whatever you have for Tadej has your brain fried!frieders302-11-2026
- Why should he 'let it go' ! Because you said so? Anytime LA Doper is called out is a win win !frieders302-11-2026
- Geez LeMond...let it go. You're a has been, albeit a former great one. But this is all water under the bridge and just undermines your legacy further.Mshark01-11-2026
- 'The Slovenian has collected four Tour de France titles' ... '[Kieran Wood's] ... 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'. i would say that is pretty inaccurate accurate coverage, kieran wood ... too bad that AI's knowledge often lags several months behind ... but proof reading is certainly part of accurate coverage, isn't it? but fortunately does Kieran Wood place 'strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.' i would say the fifth tdf title is pretty new (and even verified) information, so feel free to update this article.Ketterechts01-11-2026
- You are wrong, they are already working on his new tt position. And yes, Trump does love you 😂👍🏼awp01-11-2026
- The Erola Jons incident was not isolated. She felt she could do that because that's how everyone treats Tadej. Remember when he said "If I say wait 2 mins do you show the middle finger and walk off angry?" about the supposed fan who did exactly that? There's nothing wrong with the nurses and doctors asking him to give autographs... but do the surgery first
Rafionain-Glas01-11-2026 - Perhaps he has what Mark Cavendish had, the Epstein-Barr Virus. It caused him severe and unexplained chronic fatigue. I hope he gets better.
parisbound0001-11-2026
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