British sprinter Cullaigh signs for Movistar

Up-and-coming British sprinter Gabriel Cullaigh has signed a two-year contract with the Movistar Team, the Spanish outfit announced yesterday.“Cullaigh’s signing helps the Movistar Team increase its aspirations at sprint finishes, a speciality the Brit, a great rouleur, has steadily improved at during the last few years,” Movistar said of the 23-year-old.Cullaigh, who joined from Team Wiggins, tweeted: “Over the moon to share the news that I have signed with @Movistar_Team for 2020 & 2021!“I am incredibly excited, and honoured for this opportunity to be a part of a team with such a rich history in the sport.”Leaving Movistar after just one season will be experienced 29-year-old Spaniard Mikel Landa, who joins the Bahrain-Merida team.“The Basque climber, a proven force in the mountains, will be a major contributor to our stage race objectives,” the team said.Landa, whose best grand tour finish was third in the 2015 Giro d’Italia, came in sixth in this year’s Tour de France after previously finishing seventh in 2018 and fourth in 2017. Aside from Landa, Movistar – for whom Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde placed in the top 10 in the Tour de France – look set to also lose Richard Carapaz, the Ecuadorian winner of the Giro, for Ineos, and Quintana for Arkeo, according to his father.Olympics winner Viviani heads to CofidisOlympic champion Elia Viviani and Deceuninck Quick-Step rider Fabio Sabatini will join Cofidis next season, the French team announced yesterday.Viviani, 30, who plans to defend his 2016 omnium track gold medal at the Tokyo Games next year, has a stage win at each of the three Grand Tours, including a victory in Nancy in the Tour de France last month. “I noticed when talking to manager Cedric Vasseur and sporting director Roberto Damiani how much Cofidis wanted to sign me and they presented an ambitious project to me,” he said.“I really appreciate their wish and drive to create a dynamic around me and the confidence they have shown in me with the arrival of my friend Fabio.“Even if I won a stage this year I really want to do more at the Tour de France next year.”Experienced lead-out man and fellow Italian Sabatini, 34, has raced in 20 Grand Tour in a 13-year professional career. The length of the pair’s contracts were not specified.