In today’s Daily News Digest: Colbrelli left fuming at Coppa Sabatini while Pasqualon takes biggest career win; Bergen 2017 organisation overwhelmed by donations in face of €7M budget deficit; Dimension Data renews with Anton, signs Welshman Scott Davies; Spanish climber Rafa Valls signs with Movistar for 2018; American Logan Owen signs with Cannondale-Drapac; Latour back to racing after broken pelvis at Tour de France; 2018 Tour de Yorkshire host towns announced; Video: Phil Gaimon’s Worst Retirement Ever takes on Flagstaff in Boulder, Colorado; Video: SRAM engineers party with eTap rear derailleur races; Video: The O Bike Rabbit Hole.
Controversy in Sabatini sprint; Bergen 2017 faces deficit: Daily News Digest
Spanish climber Rafa Valls signs with Movistar for 2018
by Neal Rogers
Hoping to put a long streak of injuries behind him, Spanish climber Rafa Valls is leaving the Belgian Lotto-Soudal squad to sign with Movistar Team in 2018.
The climber from Alicante is finishing his 10th professional season in 2017, and will return to a Spanish team after spending the last six years with Dutch (Vacansoleil), Italian (Lampre) and Belgian (Lotto) squads. Long hampered by injuries, Valls has still made selection for Grand Tours, including the Giro d’Italia, twice, the Vuelta, twice, and the Tour de France, four times. At the 2010 Tour Valls came close to a stage win, only beaten by Sylvain Chavanel at the mountaintop finish of Les Rousses.
Rafael Valls: Lotto Soudal ?? Movistar Team in 2018. See all the UCI WorldTour transfers here: https://t.co/mHGtKT8Qgj #cycling pic.twitter.com/nQYYhLXEdk
— Velon CC (@VelonCC) September 28, 2017
His most recent victory came at the 2015 Tour of Oman, where he won the queen stage ahead of Tejay van Garderen and future teammate Alejandro Valverde, and secured the overall victory. Since then, his career has been sidelined by injuries, including a hip fracture in August that prevented him from starting the Vuelta a España, his main goal for the season.
¡#VallsEsMovistarTeam! @RafaVallsFerri vuelve a correr en España y se convierte en nuestro quinto fichaje para 2018: https://t.co/JUqme9vist pic.twitter.com/VtXpnvFzz4
— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) September 28, 2017