Javier Romo is one of the surprises of this first part of 2025. The Spaniard has literally exploded with the Team Movistar. A coup by Eusebio Unzue who had been on his trail for some time. And the new technical staff led by Iván Garcia Cortina has also revised some methods, even in the search for athletes, as other teams have been doing for years that don't only draw from youth cycling. Let's think for example of Nordhagen, that the Visma-Lease a Bike he literally tore up cross-country skiing.
His career began in triathlon, a discipline in which he competed at national level in Spain, a country known for its strong tradition in this sport, and even won a national title in the youth categories. The transition to road cycling took place during the Covid period, when he first moved to a small Spanish under-23 team, the Baqué Cycling Team, and from there to Astana.
Who is Javier Romo?
Born in Villafranca de los Caballeros, in the province of Toledo, on January 6, 1999, In 2017 Romo won the bronze medal at the Spanish Junior Triathlon Championships, Demonstrating his athletic ability from a young age, his passion for cycling emerged, as we mentioned, during the pandemic, when he intensified his road training.
The incredible thing happened in 2020. In his first real experience as a cyclist, Romo immediately won the Spanish under-23 road championship. That was only his third race. He was also seventh in the time trial, just behind Tercero and Pelayo Sanchez, who today, incredibly, was his teammate.
From there to Astana it was a short step. And in 2023 here he is making his debut at ReturnRomo rode the Vuelta with flying colors… at least initially. He showed his potential by joining a breakaway on stage two and temporarily taking second place in the general classification. However, a crash on stage nine forced him to retire due to a lumbar fracture.
Sciandri's words
He told us something more Max Sciandri, one of Movistar's sports directors. According to Sciandri, Romo's inclusion in the team was a positive surprise. Despite his limited experience in road cycling, due to a relatively short amateur career, Romo has shown impressive numbers and great potential. "It's clear that he still lacks some of the experience that comes from the lower categories, but He highlighted his room for improvement. And now he moves well in the group.».
Given the way he won in Australia, one might say he's a finisher, but Sciandri doesn't entirely agree.I would rather say that he is a complete rider: strong on climbs, competitive in time trials and equipped with good speed in small groups.. Furthermore, his experience in triathlon could further enrich his skills in road cycling, considering the tendency among young athletes to be multidisciplinary. We see that now top athletes do cyclocross or come from mountain biking."
Vuelta yes, Giro maybe
Last January, Javier Romo took his first professional victory on stage three of the Tour Down Under, attacking in the finale to take a solo victory. This victory allowed him to wear the race leader's jersey, eventually finishing second in the overall standings behind Narvaez. But once in Europe, he continued to perform well. "And in fact," Sciandri confides, "I would have loved to take him to both the Strade Bianche and the Tirreno-Adriatico, but he got sick and everything fell through. We needed to protect him for the upcoming races, because he can do really well."
And what are these races? After Catalunya (March 24-30), Romo could compete in some Northern Classics and perhaps make his debut on walls and cobblestones, given his build (180 cm, 70 kg, and broad shoulders, as seen in the opening photo).
«Javier – concludes Sciandri – wants to do the Vuelta, but I won't deny that the Tour of Italy It could be an option. An option I'm pushing for. We're talking about it. Let's see."
