OPINION: The signing that Movistar Team should make to improve into 2025

The year progresses, August is approaching and few rumors of the cycling market have to do with Movistar Team. Let's remember that in 2023 there was a lot of talk about Carlos Rodriguez, who in the end decided to back out, giving the Spanish team the boot and stay with INEOS. Now, with no big names available, a great option to turn the team around for 2025 could be the young and talented sprinter Kaden Groves.

In the words of CiclismoAlDia's Juan Larra we access this possibility. The Australian had a sensational year in 2024, winning three stages and the points classification at the Vuelta a España. This year, although he failed to win at the Giro d'Italia, he had four top 3 stage results. He is expected to race the Vuelta a España again at the end of the year after, as expected, being ruled out of a Tour de France in which Jasper Philipsen will once again be the leader of Alpecin-Deceuninck (especially considering that he has renewed his contract for 4 more years).

So, at 25, it seems clear that if Kaden Groves wants to win a stage in the Tour before he turns 30, he will have to move on. According to market specialist Daniel Benson, Astana and INEOS Grenadiers are the two teams that have inquired about him. He has yet to win in 2024, but his potential is undeniably huge.

Movistar Team has found in Fernando Gaviria a sprinter capable of scoring UCI points, something almost mandatory in modern cycling; but changing and focusing on the Australian for next year would give a beastly boost and would make the amount of points they acquire for the UCI WorldTour classification would be great (needless to say that it would also opt for many more wins).

Movistar in these 2 years with Gaviria has been improving in the placement of the Colombian in the sprints and in the last Giro men like Davide Cimolai did an extraordinary job that Gaviria did not know how to finish. We'll see what happens in the market, but the Spanish team should try to sign a rider that will give them victories. Will Groves be possible?