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Amador officially joins Ineos

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Several months after it was initially reported that he would join the squad in 2020, Andrey Amador is finally a member of Team Ineos.

Amador’s transfer comes one day after Movistar announced that it had agreed to release Amador from his contract, ending a dispute that had dragged on for months.

“I have spent all of my sporting career with Movistar and I owe them a lot – but I felt now is the right time in my career to seek some new motivations,” Amador said. “This is a new challenge and I will give everything I have for this team.”

Amador spent 11 seasons with the Movistar organization, dating back to 2009 when it was the Caisse d’Epargne team. The 33-year-old Costa Rican emerged as a solid Grand Tour racer over the years, with a stage win and two GC top 10s at the Giro d’Italia on his career palmares. He also played an important role for Giro winner Richard Carapaz there last year.

Amador’s future had been uncertain, however, since the middle of last season. Movistar announced in July that he had extended his contract for two more years, but his agent Giuseppe Acquadro reportedly continued talks with other teams beyond that. Amador then reportedly agreed to join Ineos, setting up a move to join Carapaz, who also signed on with the British team last transfer season.

With Movistar pressing for some form of compensation for Amador’s decision to move on despite his prior plans of sticking with the team, the UCI’s Arbitral Board took up the case. Meanwhile, Amador was spotted training in Ineos kit last month.

Although no official news of any deliberations emerged, Movistar announced Tuesday that it had reached an agreement to terminate Amador’s contract. One day later, he has joined Ineos as planned, signing a three-year deal with the squad.

“I’m excited to be part of this group, joining alongside Richard Carapaz,” Amador said. “I’m happy we can continue to ride together after what [we] were able to do with Movistar at the Giro d’Italia.”

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