Spanish development team Equipo Lizarte held its team presentation this weekend in the outskirts of Pamplona. The outfit confirmed a 20-rider roster featuring Dylan Westley, a British prospect coming from London-based junior squad HMT Hospitals Cycling Team.
Dylan Westley was born in Leeds, in the heart of Yorkshire, and is yet to reach age 19. With a very light build, under 60 kilos of weight, he is a natural born climber. Equipo Lizarte decided to recruit him after his performance in the Vuelta a Pamplona, on which he won a stage and placed 5th in the final GC.
“In Pamplona, Dylan proved he had some spark and later showed a lot of interest in joining Equipo Lizarte,” explains Juanjo Oroz, Team Manager at Asociación Deportiva Galibier, the cycling club running both the Equipo Lizarte amateur team and Spain’s new UCI Continental team, Equipo Kern Pharma.
“Beyond the purely sporting aspect, Dylan is going to introduce us to a different cycling culture. Great Britain has become a hotbed for cycling and is producing a great deal of talent, and he is an example of this. We vow to help Dylan develop as a person and as a rider to reach his full potential.”
Westley’s “interest” in joining Equipo Lizarte was spurred by his admiration of current Giro d’Italia champion Richard Carapaz. The Ecuadorian cyclist first outfit in Europe was Equipo Lizarte, from which he took the leap to Movistar Team.
“Carapaz is my favourite rider,” says Westley. “I am kind of a similar rider to him, as I am an explosive climber, capable of sprinting on a hard race. Racing in Spain is going to help my chances because Spanish races suit my skills. Besides, I know Equipo Lizarte is a team that cares a lot about its riders and looks after them. Many current pros have developed here and I think I have the right mindset to follow their footsteps.”
25 alumni of Equipo Lizarte are going to race on the pro ranks this season, nine of them in the World Tour. The aforementioned Richard Carapaz, Astana’s Óscar Rodríguez and Movistar’s Marc Soler are amongst those.
Nine Equipo Lizarte riders have turned pro this winter. Iñigo Elosegui is getting to know the World Tour with Movistar Team, while eight of his former teammates are part of Equipo Kern Pharma’s maiden roster.
Equipo Lizarte is expected to enjoy this season a racing schedule similar to 2019. Its focus on the Spanish amateur scene should be complemented with several appearances in some of the world’s best U23 races, such as the Giro d’Italia U23 and the Giro della Valle d’Aosta.
Equipo Lizarte 2020 Roster
Pablo Castrillo (02/01/2001, Huesca)
Iván Cobo (02/01/2000, Cantabria)
Unai Esparza (02/06/2000, Navarra)
Sinuhé Fernández (15/06/2000, Asturias)
Raúl García Pierna (23/2/2001, Madrid)
Jon Gil (25/3/2001, Navarra)
Pepe Ginestar (15/2/2001, Alicante)
Mateo González (24/11/2000, Soria)
Javier Ibáñez (29/11/2001, Vitoria)
Álex Jaime (29/09/1998, Girona)
Jordi López (14/08/1998, Barcelona)
Pau Miquel (20/08/2000, Barcelona)
Mikel Retegi (27/04/2001, Navarra)
Ferrán Robert (02/05/1998, Tarragona)
Juan José Rosal (18/07/2001, Barcelona)
Raúl Rota (18/11/1999, Barcelona)
Carlos Ruiz (07/07/1997, Navarra)
Eugenio Sánchez (10/03/1999, Alicante)
Diego Uriarte (26/10/2001, Navarra)
Dylan Westley (13/3/2001, Leeds)
Staff
President: Manolo Azcona
Team Manager: Juanjo Oroz
Sports Directors: Jon Armendariz, Haritzer Medina
Assistant Sport Director: Javier Garayoa
Carer: Gabriel Irisarri
Mechanics: Eneko Arbeloa, José Ramón Cacho, Javier Lafuente, Miguel Mujika
Communications Manager: Fran Reyes
