Beñat intxausti (1986) is "excited" about his new career at Team Sky after five seasons at the Movistar Team.The Basque climber believes that it was time to wear new colors and now joins Chris Froome’s alongside Mikel Landa and Michal Kwiatkowski.

Intxausti is "very happy and excited" by his new team. "Sky is a reference and it was an opportunity I could not miss. This is a new adventure and I join a team that I have as always liked for how it works. It is  perfect,” he tells BiciCiclismo .

It also has "other reasons" to make the move as he get the chance "to work with Xavi (Xabier Artetxe, trainer at  the British team, ed.). I know him from my time as amateur."

The change puts an end to five years at the Movistar Team in which it has left its mark withtwo stage victories in the Giro d'Italia in 2013 and 2015 and the overall win at the Tour of Beijing in 2013. He shone in the grand tours, was eighth and wore the pink jersey in the 2013 Giro and was tenth in the 2012 Vuelta. "Apart from individual results, I have contributed and have helped leaders in important races. I am satisfied because I have also shined when I had the opportunity," he says.

A new challenge will be to riding against his future teammates. "Anton, Castroviejo, the Izaguirre brothers ... I will still have the same friends which is important, because that is something that will last forever, but now we will be rivals in the races," he says.

In 2015, he raised his arms in Campitello Matese at the Giro d'Italia where he fought for the mountains classification. He was also second in the Vuelta a Castilla y León, third in the Vuelta a Andalusia, only surpassed by Froome and Contador, and the GP Miguel Indurain. He rode strongly in the Dauphiné where he was fourth, just five seconds off the podium behind Froome, Van Garderen and Rui Costa.

Michal Kwiatkowski (Etixx-Quick Step), Mikel Landa (Astana), Danny van Poppel (Trek Factory Racing), Michal Golas (Etixx-Quick Step), Alex Peters and Gianni Moscon are the other Team Sky signings for next season.