Javier Moreno signs with Bahrain Merida for 2017

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Bahrain Merida today announced the signing of Spaniard Javier Moreno for the 2017 season. The 32-year-old comes to the new team after spending five years with Movistar.

In his 11-year professional career, Moreno has won the overall at Vuelta Asturias and Vuelta a Castilla y Leon. He also won Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid and stages in Asturias and Vuelta a Andalucia.

Moreno won’t be looking for individual results with his new team, however, as he’s been signed to back Vincenzo Nibali in the big tours.

"I am good climber and I am good in short individual time trials too,” Moreno said. “I know that I can do good performances in one-week races. But I don't think that it is my only goal in a big team like Bahrain Merida. I have a huge experience working for big leaders like Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde, and my feeling is that I can do the same work for Vincenzo Nibali and the other leaders of my new team.”

Moreno said his big target next year will be the Giro d’Italia, a race he crashed out of this year with a broken collarbone. Nibali has won the Giro twice in 2013 and again this season.

"My best performances are always in the first months of the season, January and February, but in the month of May too. So I always had a big motivation for the Giro of Italy,” Moreno said. “I never can run in all my life until 2016. And this year I had an accident and broke my collarbone, so now my motivation is the highest possible for the Giro of Italy of 2017. I really want to be there again and to support one of our leaders in the fight for the victory.”