Surprise transfer to join Mathieu van der Poel? - Underperforming classics specialist reportedly set to be on the move

Iván García Cortina once looked destined to become a strong sprinter and a credible classics rider, but he has fallen short in both roles. One of Movistar Team’s golden boys who, always willing and always intent, has rarely hit the mark, he seems set to leave Abarca Sports without making a lasting impact.

And, if we trust the always well-informed Nacho Labarga at Marca, the Spanish rider will not continue with the telephone-backed squad next season. In the transfer market, he is being linked with Mathieu van der Poel’s Alpecin.

When he arrived in 2021 from Bahrain, Iván came off a breakthrough with stage wins at Paris–Nice and the Amgen Tour of California, plus two runner-up spots at the French race. In 2022 he won Gran Piemonte. His classics victories stopped there. Not until this year at the Vuelta a Asturias did we see him raise his arms again.

At 30, a regular top 30 at Paris–Roubaix and seemingly without higher individual ceiling, he has embraced a de luxe domestique role that could plausibly attract none other than Alpecin and Mathieu van der Poel. All signs pointed to the Gijón native staying put, but we can imagine the offer from the Belgian squad is bigger.

In one swoop, the telephone team loses two riders it initially counted on: Iván himself and Lorenzo Milesi. The Italian’s case has been especially mishandled. He shone at the Giro, and more attractive suitors than Eusebio Unzué and company have queued up since.

And that’s not all. According to Labarga, Movistar could also lose one of its most powerful riders from this strong start to 2026, Natnael Tesfatsion. After a low-key 2025, he has performed at a high level since the Tour Down Under and is a major points scorer. The problem is obvious: suitors have emerged, and renewal talks appear complicated. It would be another heavy loss, while the only signing that sounds close today is Iván Cobo, who would arrive as a free agent from Kern Pharma after its sponsor’s exit.

In exchange, the team has opted to extend Manlio Moro, still very green, Germany’s Hessmann, who has done virtually nothing since his controversial mid-season arrival last year, and Poland’s Filip Maciuk.

We’ll see how the strategy plays out for the telephone-backed squad. Below are Iván García Cortina’s statistics and key data. Tell us in the comments what you think of his departure and whether you saw it coming.