Andrey Amador and Movistar terminate contract amid battle to join Ineos
The Costa Rican was spotted riding in Ineos kit while training in December
Andrey Amador and Movistar have agreed to terminate his contract as the rider has been fighting to leave his team for Ineos.
Amador was spotted wearing Team Ineos kit during a training rider in December as he has been trying to free himself from a pre-contract agreement that tied him to Movistar until 2021.
The Spanish WorldTour team announced on Tuesday (February 11) that Amador’s contract had been terminated and that he was now free to leave the team.
A statement from the team said: “Movistar announces on Tuesday it has reached an agreement with Andrey Amador for the termination of the contract between both parties.
“We wish Andrey all the best in his future endeavours, after 11 successful years together. Thank you."
News emerged in September that 33-year-old Amador wanted to cancel his renewed deal with Movistar after signing an agreement at the end of the Tour de France.
Amador was thought to be following his old team-mate Richard Carapaz to British WorldTour squad Ineos, but Movistar resisted his attempts to leave.
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The case ended up in front of the UCI arbitration board over Christmas, but is now believed to be resolved after the announcement by Movistar.
Amador started his WorldTour career with Movistar, then Caisse d’Epargne, back in 2010 and has been with the squad since.
In 2012 he won a stage of the Giro d’Italia and went on to finish fourth overall in the Italian Grand Tour in 2015.
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Amador hasn’t raced since the World Championships in Yorkshire on September 2019 because of the dispute, while Ineos have not yet confirmed his signing.
But he was spotted by a fan riding a Pinarello bike and wearing a Team Ineos kit while training near his home in La Garriga, Spain last December.
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
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