David de la Cruz to leave Team Ineos this year
The Vuelta a España stage winner is on the move after a quiet season
David de la Cruz is on the move from Team Ineos after two seasons.
The Spaniard, a stage winner at the Vuelta a España, joined the British WorldTour outfit from Quick-Step at the start of 2018, but will be leaving at the end of the season.
After a quiet year, De la Cruz will be joining UAE Team Emirates on a two-year contract.
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UAE team manger Joxean Matxin said: “David is a rider who has the right experience to fully exploit his talent and immediately be a reliable part of our team in key races. His climbing talent, combined with his strength in time trials, has led him to win stages in top-level races and to wear leaders jerseys.”
The 30-year-old turned pro in 2012, and has since taken stage wins in the Vuelta, Paris-Nice, and the Tour of the Basque Country.
He also finished in the top-10 of the 2016 Vuelta.
But De la Cruz has been quiet this year with Ineos, riding the Spanish Grand Tour but notching no noteworthy results.
On his move to UAE, he said: “When I received the proposal from UAE and after speaking with the team manager Matxin, it was everything I needed from a cycling point of view.
“The UAE Team Emirates project to become a reference within cycling is ambitious and it has solid plans in place to work toward this goal.
“In the next two season, I hope to contribute to this project by being able to perform at my highest level.
“I really want to give my best and I’m sure that at UAE Team Emirates I’ll be in the right place to do that.”
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Team Ineos will also be saying goodbye to Wout Poels who heads to Bahrain-Merida, Kenny Elissonde who leaves for Trek-Segafredo and Kristoffer Halvorsen who will join EF Education First.