Spanish telecommunications group Telefónica has today (Monday) extended its title sponsorship of UCI WorldTour cycling squad Team Movistar through its mobile phone operator brand.
Telefónica announced the new three-year contract for its Movistar division during a press conference at its headquarters in Madrid. The agreement means the Team Movistar moniker is set to remain in place through the 2019 WorldTour season.
The announcement came a day after Movistar’s star rider, Nairo Quintana, claimed victory in the Vuelta a Espana grand tour race. The Colombian’s contract has also been extended to run across the duration of the new title sponsorship deal.
“We’ve got the best team in the world at the moment,” Carlos López Blanco, head of public and regulatory affairs for Telefónica, said, according to the CyclingNews website. “The sporting results can hardly be better and our brand exposure and positioning are excellent all over the world, especially in Spain and Latin America, essential markets for Telefónica.
“Our progression on digital media has been constant all over these six years, and as with all previous aspects, makes us satisfied and proud to have joined our name to cycling in this team. Enjoying results like this Vuelta win by Nairo Quintana (pictured) is sensational. We’ve got tremendous confidence in the future of the team and our collaboration with them.”
Movistar initially started sponsoring the team, which was founded in 1980, back in 2011. Movistar has won the WorldTour team classification each year since 2013 and the individual competition for the past two seasons with Spanish rider Alejandro Valverde.
Movistar is also leading the team rankings this season, while Quintana’s Vuelta win took him top of the riders’ classification.