Movistar Team Women in Calpe 2019(Image credit: Movistar)
Movistar Team Women(Image credit: Movistar)
Physiological testing for the Movistar Team Women at Calpe camp(Image credit: Movistar)
Movistar Team Women pack up and head out for training(Image credit: Movistar)
Aude Biannic (Movistar Team Women) - French champion(Image credit: Movistar)
Movistar Team Women Canyon bikes(Image credit: Movistar)
Rear lighting on the back of the Movistar Team Women team bikes(Image credit: Movistar)
Paula Patino (Movistar Team Women)(Image credit: Movistar)
Movistar Team Women head out on a training ride in Calpe(Image credit: Movistar)
Movistar Team Women bottles prepared ahead of a long training ride(Image credit: Movistar)
Movistar Team Women team car in Calpe(Image credit: Movistar)
Sheyla Gutierrez and Movistar Team Women prepare to go for a training ride(Image credit: Movistar)
Aude Biannic (Movistar Team Women) is the French national champion(Image credit: Movistar)
Mavi Garcia (Movistar Team Women)(Image credit: Movistar)
Movistar Team Women(Image credit: Movistar)
Spanish champion Eider Merino (Movistar Team Women)(Image credit: Movistar)
Movistar Team Women get ready to ride in Calpe(Image credit: Movistar)
Paula Patino (Movistar Team Women)(Image credit: Movistar)
Movistar Team Women Canyon bikes(Image credit: Movistar)
Polish champion Malgorzata Jasinska at the Movistar Team Women training camp(Image credit: Movistar)
Polish champion Malgorzata Jasinska heads out for a training ride(Image credit: Movistar)
Movistar Team Women's 12 riders united at a pre-season training camp in Alicante in preparation of the European season opener at Setmana Ciclista Valenciana held from February 21-24. Sheyla Gutierrez will make her debut with the Spanish outfit, and play a valuable role in the team's hopes for stage success in the four-day race.
Gutierrez joined the team after spending three seasons with the US-based outfit Cylance. She signed for Movistar Team Women partway through the 2018 season before it was announced that the Cylance program would fold. The US tech firm will continue in the sport having signed on with Valcar for 2019.
The most decisive climb of the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana takes place at the end of stage 3 on the Xorret de Cati, and at four kilometres and pitches as steep as 20 per cent, it could decide who wins the overall classification. There are two other climbs of significance, however, on stage 1; Barxeta and Barx, that will also play an important factor in the race.
Gutierrez will likely be aiming for stage wins, but the team will field a well-rounded roster that includes Alba Teruel, Mavi García, Eider Merino, Lorena Llamas, Lourdes Oyarbide, Roxane Fournier. The climbs will suit Garcia and Merino.
The team place two rider in the top 10 in what was their debut season last year with Alicia Gonzalez in third and Garcia placed sixth overall. Gonzalez will not be participating in this year’s race.
Movistar Team Women already took to the start line earlier this month at the Vuelta CV Féminas Vuelta a la Comunitat Valenciana Feminas where Fournier secured sixth place in her debut race with the team.
The team recently completed a seven-day camp in Calpe to prepare for the stage race with all 12 riders for a range of physical tests, technical meetings and numerous sponsor duties.
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Click through the gallery above to view images from the Movistar Team Women’s camp.
Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
