Almost at the last minute, with the rosters of the vast majority of WorldTour teams virtually finalized, Igor Antón has found a team for 2016. After his two-year contract with Movistar expired, Dimension Data that includes fellow Spaniards Alex Sans Vega as sports director and new signing Omar Fraile, as rescued the rider from Galdakao, who sees the opportunity as a "liberation". He hasn't signed a contract yet but expects to do so in the coming hours. "I'm waiting for the finishing touches," he tells Deia.

Having lost several options, including Caja Rural which was ultimately not invited to compete in the Giro d'Italia, Anton has waited for an opportunity he considers "very exciting". "It was not an easy situation. I had even thought about retirement, "he admits.

However, a sudden and unexpected turn of events has opened the doors to the WorldTour for the rider who made his professional debut in the ranks of the defunct Euskaltel-Euskadi team eleven years ago. "Cycling has given me a lot and now I have a new challenge ahead which is riding in a foreign team, something I have not done before."

Over the phone, Sans, principal architect behind Fraile's and Anton's moves to the South African team next season, explains to Deia how the deal was made. "About three months ago we received a call in which we were made aware of Igor's situation. We valued it becausehe is a very experienced rider but we had to put it aside momentarily because we had not yet received a license from the UCI to make the jump to the WorldTour ".

It was not until Wednesday of last week, on November 25 when Dimension Data finally received approval from the International Cycling Union, allowing them to ride the best races of the calendar, including the grand tours: Giro, Tour and Vuelta. "We have a big group of riders that are made for the classics, and needed someone for the first part of the season until the Giro. Igor's arrival will be a big boost for us because he will bring experience. Once we received the WorldTour license, we analyzed the situation. We saw that the option was still open and gave the nod. It the best I could find in the market, "explains Alex Sans.

Igor Anton admits he has not had "time" to talk to his new director, but he will when he has signed the contract with a team of which "we must be proud of the way they engage in humanitarian work in Africa."

He will join forces with compatriot Fraile. "It will be good for both to be together in the team because we can help each other," he stresses. The first commitment of both come in mid-January at a training camp in Calpe. Then it is time for the Mallorca Challenge which will be the official opening for the two new Dimension Data riders.