Benat Intxausti presents a promising GC prospect in the coming years for the Movistar team after winning a stage and finishing eighth overall at the Giro d'Italia this season. The 27-year-old, who has been a professional since 2007, will be looking to take another step up with the Spanish team over the following two years. His performance at the upcoming Vuelta a España will give a clear indication as to his progression since May.
José Joaquín Rojas has had eight top ten sprint finishes so far this year, including a podium on the third stage of the Tour de France. Rojas is another rider who at 28, will be looking to excel over the next two years and convert some of these near misses into victories. On the other hand, with two stage wins at the Giro this year, Giovanni Visconti can rest easy knowing he has already got his runs on the board.
The real excitement for the Spanish team lies with the prospects of young Jesús Herrada. The 23-year-old surprised many when he won the Spanish road race championships this year with a brilliant last kilometre attack. Jesús' older brother, José Herrada, actually came across to Movistar in 2012 a year after his then 21-year-old brother had joined the Spanish outfit. José has had a heavy racing schedule this year starting with the Tour Down Under in January and going through a heavy spring into the Giro, and soon after the Dauphine. In fact, The elder Herrada brother, still only 27-years-old, has had a staggering 64 race days before he even fronts up for the Vuelta on the weekend.
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