Orluis Aular, winner of the Trofeo Matteotti earlier this month, signed a dream contract with the Movistar Team for two years, the team announced on Wednesday.
Aular spent the past five seasons with Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, with whom he came into his own in the last two seasons, taking overall victories in the Volta ao Alentejo and CRO Race last year and the GP Internacional Torres Vedras-Trofeu Joaquim Agostinho this season along with second overall in the Tour du Limousin.
"To be honest, I never imagined I could make it to the WorldTour," Aular said in the team's press release. "I always sought to progress one step at a time. I first tried to make it to the European peloton, and I achieved it thanks to Jesús Rodríguez Magro competing in Spain with EC Cartucho."
Rodríguez, a former pro with Banesto, was the owner of Aular's amateur team, and Aular's adventure in Spain continued on a more global scale with a stint of racing in Belgium and France in 2017 and a series of races in China the following year. He signed with the Japanese team Matrix Powertag in 2019, with whom he won the Tour de Kumano.
Those achievements led Aulaur to sign with Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, where he began to get a foothold in the European peloton amid the COVID pandemic. He picked up his first victory with the team in 2022 at the Classica da Arrabida and followed that with his first overall win in the Volta ao Alentejo.
"I cannot thank Caja Rural enough for the chance they gave me back them. I knew that it would only get harder from there, and it's been many years of hard work and dedication to get this beautiful opportunity with the Movistar Team. It makes me happy and also so emotional - it's never been easy," Aular said.
"2024 has been my best season yet. Year by year I've improved a lot, and I was able to keep consistency in both my performance and results this season, with the aim of getting to the WorldTour. That desire has propelled me to work harder than I've ever done. I've been able to get over some mountains in better form than ever, and having the 'plus' of knowing I could stand that chance of joining the Movistar Team gave me hope to continue improving in many aspects.
"I'm at the team's full disposal for whatever they might need. I will keep chasing goals, as I've done over my entire career, trying to be a good allrounder and showing I've still got room to improve. I'm a bit anxious to get going, know the teammates and staff - some of them I've already shared time with in the past, and I want to support the team and give it my all."
