Movistar confirmed that it "will launch a new women's team" for the '18 season, with the men's and women's teams each "competing in the same new sky blue kit," according to Henry Robertshaw of CYCLING WEEKLY. The Spanish team will become the sixth WorldTour team to have a connected women's setup after Team Sunweb, Orica-Scott, FDJ, Astana and Lotto-Soudal. The team will consist of "around ten riders for its first season" -- although no signings have yet been announced -- and will use the same equipment as the men's team (CYCLING WEEKLY, 9/11).
CYCLING NEWS reported the team will have a "predominantly Spanish focus," and will form "part of a wider drive to develop women's cycling in the country." Spain is currently ranked 15th in the Int'l Cycling Union (UCI) nations standings. A team release said, "It's a medium-to-long term project that seeks to dynamize women's cycling as a competitive sport, boosting the number of licence-holders and ensuring that Spanish female cyclists have the best sporting means to compete in the international peloton." It added that the team will work with the Spanish Cycling Federation on "other projects to develop the women's side of the sport" (
CYCLING NEWS, 9/11).
