After six years with Astana, Colombian Miguel Angel Lopez has signed with Movistar for 2021.

A talented climber and stage racer with numerous successful mountain finishes to his credit, Lopez won this year's Tour de France with a late attack on the most demanding Alpine stage, the challenging Col de la Rose.

Still only 26 years old, Lopez has already won the Tour de Suisse, Volta a Catalunya, Tour of Colombia, and Tour de Lavenir overall.

He also made the podium at the 2018 Vuelta a España and Giro d'Italia, and finished sixth in his debut at the Tour de France this fall.

Lopez was a strong overall contender in this year's Giro, but a high-speed crash in the opening time trial almost retired him before the race began.

"I'm very happy to be part of the most important team in cycling," Lopez, whose only professional team experience is with Astana, said in a Movistar press release.

"As I have always done, I want to represent the Movistar team and the Colombian people in the best way possible. The Movistar Team has always been an important team for my hometown fans and an important factor in the growth of the sport in Latin America.

The deal with Lopez had been strongly rumored since it was announced by the website Zikloland (opens in new tab) in early November.

Lopez had openly criticized Movistar in the past, but realized that he could play a leadership role in Grand Tour with one of the biggest teams in the World Tour peloton.

His move follows news that Astana recently re-signed the Izaguirre brothers, Ion and Gorka, and Spanish national champion Luis Leon Sanchez.

Movistar, which has historically excelled in stage races, especially the Grand Tours, has moved on this season after Giro d'Italia winners Richard Calapaz and Nairo Quintana moved on with Mikel Landa, Alejandro Valverde, Enric Mas, The results have relied heavily on the trio of Spanish leaders, Marc Soler.

However, while Soler did take an impressive solo stage win in the first week of the Vuelta a España, the team's best GC finish in a Grand Tour was Mas' relatively modest fifth place overall in the Tour and Vuelta.

Valverde, meanwhile, had his first full season without a win since 2002, when he was Kelme's first-year rider. Movistar won just two races this season, albeit with team prizes in the Tour and Vuelta.

In the same press release, Unzué highlighted both Lopez's impressive track record and his aggressive style as a racer. It is not yet clear if Lopez's contract with Movistar is for more than one year.

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