Paula Blasi lashes out at UAE after transfer saga: 'They still weren't satisfied'

Even before the Tour de France Femmes—where Blasi finished fifth and won the white jersey—it was essentially already decided that the young Spaniard would be leaving the team.

Blasi’s contract was still in effect, but the buyout clause was relatively low. Still, UAE Team L’Imad tried everything to keep her.

“Even after I paid the buyout clause, they weren’t satisfied and kept asking for a lot of money. Since I was earning the minimum wage—which is what I’ve been earning all year—I obviously couldn’t afford to pay that anymore. It was very difficult.”

The attitude of her former team greatly disappointed the winner of the Amstel Gold Race and the Vuelta Femenina.

The disappointment also seeped into her work. UAE Team L'Imad often fielded a strong, deep roster, but that didn't work well for Blasi. It often led to friction among the contenders. “If three, four, or five of us can win and no one is dictating the pace, it becomes more of a battle than a team race.”

She also laments the role of the team managers in that process. According to her, not enough was done to provide clarity ahead of an important race. “I think you have to be a leader in a race, not in a negotiation. At UAE, it sometimes seemed as if the riders had to maintain order because the management didn’t.”

In the Tour de France Femmes, things came to a head. Blasi was cast as a domestique, but turned out to be one of the team’s best riders. With all the transfer rumors swirling, she was often swamped by journalists, but she credits Elisa Longo Borghini with providing a sense of calm within the team.

“She brought a little more calm. I saw headlines that made me not want to give any more interviews. I trusted her more than I trusted myself, because it was my first Tour.”

At Movistar, Blasi will have more clarity. It feels like coming home to the Spanish team, where she’ll be a team leader alongside Marlen Reusser.

And so Reusser will likely ride the Giro d'Italia, while Blasi defends her title in the Vuelta. As for the Tour de France, it’s still up in the air—the same goes for Reusser.