At the top level of 2018 road racing we saw strength, skill, bravery and risk from fizik riders… we witnessed teamwork and togetherness but also spirited individual brilliance. There were decisions made on pre-determined calculations, and others that can only be the sheer gut instinct of a racer who knows when to go – it’s the raw passion for winning that lights the flame within all racing fans. We all share that passion, but only the very best can translate it into performances that put all the others in the shade… performances like these: Thomas wins the Tour on the Alpe d’Huez The loyal lieutenant, the super-domestique, and one of the most popular riders in today’s peloton, few foresaw Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas as the 2018 Tour de France winner – but that’s exactly what he became. The Welshman started in Noirmoutier-en-l’Île as the number one support act to four-time TdF winner Froome, but soon found himself with the strongest position of the GC contenders, triggering a series of question… Could Thomas step out of the shadows and hang on to the lead? Will the other contenders overhaul him Would team orders dictate Thomas handing the win to Froome? The Welshman did most to answer the questions with a sublime attack over the Alpe d’Huez – the first British rider to do so – which made hairs stand up on necks. Backed up with another mountain-top stage win in San Bernando, Thomas enjoyed 11 days in in the maillot jaune on his way to Paris. Valverde wins the Worlds on Höttinger Höll Perhaps we left the most emotionally charged win til last, with the smiles of El Bala in Innsbruck, Austria. Six times previously on the World Champs podium, but never before on the top step, the 38-year-old Spaniard pulled off one of the finest performances of his career to tame the ‘Hell’ hill no fewer than seven times, and see off a final selection of three other top class riders to sprint it home in Innsbruck. For the 2019 campaign Alejandro Valverde is once again Movistar Team’s co-leader with Nairo Quintana and Mikel Landa – and this year the Spaniard rides wearing the exclusive Rainbow Stripes of World Champion. But it’s not just a rainbow on his jersey… El Bala will also ride with his new shoes and saddle, which bear the iconic rainbow colors. Infinito R1 Iride shoes have the same technical features as the Infinito R1 Movistar Team delivering unrivaled dynamic fit, lightweight breathability and exceptional power transfer. Antares 00 Iride saddle feature the familiar fizik carbon double shell and Carbon Mobius Rail. Both look amazing– and will be seen for the first time at the Mallorca Challenge, then February’s Vuelta a Andalucia, a race where he’s already a five-time winner. Valverde will contest Paris-Nice in March and then return to Spain for the Vuelta a Catalunya. In April he heads north for the Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallone and Liège-Bastogne-Liège – a trio of important races across which he has a total of seven victories, although none have yet come for him at Liège. But even the Ardennes Classics are a warm-up for Imbatido’s biggest challenges of his rainbow year, the Grand Tours: first it’s the Giro d’Italia in May, where he finished third on his only appearance. Then it’s the Vuelta a España (August-September), where El Bala has won outright once and finished on the GC podium no fewer than six times… he would love to secure another outright victory at the Spanish Grand Tour. In late September, Yorkshire, England, presents the opportunity for Alejandro Valverde to defend the Famous Rainbow Jersey at the World Championships. Movistar Team’s experienced campaigner is a rare commodity: a genuine all-rounder who can sprint, climb, time trial, solo to victory and play super-domestique. Winner of the 2009 Vuelta a España and with multiple Spanish National Champion’s jerseys, two Criterium Dauphine wins, four at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and an astonishing five Flèche Wallonne, the 38-year-old rider has a palmares to envy. In his 19th year as a pro, the Spaniard is still hitting peak form as he lies second in the Vuelta’s GC competition, with two stage victories so far this year and looking at home in the green jersey. A popular figure with fellow pro’s and fans alike, Alejandro is all smiles as he joins us for the latest video in our ‘7 Question’ series. Discover who inspired the young Alejandro to ride; where he likes to train; his best loved teammate and food, which is his which favourite Grand Tour, and more. Spain and fizik rider Alejandro Valverde won the Men’s Elite Road Race at Sunday’s World Championships finale in superb style. L’Embatido – six times previously on the World Champs podium in 19 attempts, but never before on the top step – was wearing his national colors in a fascinating competition that was wide open and tightly fought throughout. He won the 258km race in 6 hours, 46’ 41”, with an average speed of over 38kph. After seven circuits of the ‘Olympic Circuit’ at Innsbruck, Austria, the final selection of five world class athletes was made on the feared ‘Hell Climb’ which hit 28% at its steepest. With Gianni Moscon soon dropped, five became four – Valverde, Romain Bardet (France), Tom Dumoulin (Netherlands) and Michael Woods (Canada), and when the oldest man of the four was left to lead out the sprint, he never looked like being caught on his way to earning the Rainbow Jersey. “This is incredible. I’ve fought for many years, and finally I get it. It was a very long sprint… I launched my sprint at 350 metres, which was perfect for me. It’s the win of the national selection, of all the people who like me and support me. I’m speechless because I don’t believe it. I’ve been close many times. I’ve had several medals but I was still missing the gold. I’m caught by a huge emotion.” Earning the Rainbow stripes caps an eventful 17th season as a pro for the 38-year-old Movistar Team rider wearing Infinito R1 Movistar Team shoes and riding on an his Antares saddle to a highly memorable victory. Well done, Alejandro! Movistar Team’ s specialist climber – and one of the team’s multiple GC leaders – Nairo Quintana is a supremely talented cyclist, but beneath the cool performances, have you wondered what makes him tick? We know the 28-year-old has won both the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España, but which Grand Tour is his favourite? You’ll find the answer to that in our ‘7 Questions‘ series, plus who got him started in on a bike, what he misses while away from his native Colombia on the WorldTour, what cycling has taught him, and what he would be doing if he wasn’t a rider. Let’s share some time with Nairo. Each of the three Grand Tours – the three-week stage races that combine every specialism and the most arduous challenges of road racing – has its own unique atmosphere and identity, firing the fans, both local and international. While the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France may ultimately get bigger headlines worldwide, it’s often said within the pro peloton that the Vuelta a España is the toughest of the lot. From the battling Basque to the Andalucian coast, across the Sierra Nevada and often a flirtation with France as we take in the climbs of the Pyrenees, to the now traditional finish in the mayhem of Madrid, the Vuelta showcases the beauty of Spain. It cranks up the challenge for the riders, regularly combining the most climbing, the biggest count of mountain stages and the greatest number of hill finishes with relentless heat and a competitive field that pushes to the limit. While the Spanish race’s history conjures home-grown heroes such as Contador, Heras and Delgardo, in recent years we’ve seen some of the best climbing performances ever produced by international athletes: Aru, Nibali, last year’s British winner Chris Froome and 2016’s Colombian victor Nairo Quintana (Infinito R1 Movistar Team and Antares saddle). Being the only Spanish registered WorldTour outfit, Movistar Team – wearing Fizik Infinito R1 Movistar Team shoes – get a vast amount of attention from fans and media alike. But fighting with all 18 WorldTour teams there are 2nd tier Spanish and sometimes French teams invited to add to mix and further stir the passion, and the intense competition for stage wins with some heroic breakaways in what can be tremendously high temperatures. The 2018 race – the 73rd edition – includes six hilly and six mountain stages, nine of them with hilltop finishes, which help make the Mountain Classification’s white-with-blue spots jersey so highly prized. As a regular Vuelta fixture there are also two Individual Time Trials that keep the GC contenders on their toes to the very end to see who wears the iconic red jersey on the final processional stage. We’re excited as ever to see who tames the toughest test this year to make the Madrid podium on 16th September. We spent a day with Nairo Quintana, the Colombian champion of Movistar Team. He told us about his objectives for the season, his team and his cycling equipment. Watch the video to discover what cycling means to Nairo and which is his favourite fi’zi:k saddle. They say climbing never gets easier, you just get faster – and who better to ask how, than one of the best riders in the pro peloton, Movistar Team’s Mikel Landa. fi’zi:k joins forces with the Global Cycling Network in this video to get the inside knowledge from a man who’s climbing prowess really needs no introduction – stage wins at the World Tour, multiple stage wins and third at Giro d’Italia, and fourth overall at last year’s Tour de France. To set your sights on that mountain segment, watch the video below. 
