Ion Izagirre: I couldn't turn down Bahrain-Merida

Ion Izagirre is in little doubt that 2016 was the best season of his career to date. A first-ever stage win at the Tour de France was the icing on the cake after an impressive string of results across one-week stage races. So why did he rip up his contract with Movistar to join the nascent Bahrain-Merida team?

Patrick Fletcher

Patrick is a freelance sports writer and editor. He’s an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish). Patrick worked full-time at Cyclingnews for eight years between 2015 and 2023, latterly as Deputy Editor.