Daniel Moreno

Daniel Moreno
	Moreno in 2009
Personal information
Full name	Daniel Moreno Fernández
Nickname	Muñeco
Born	5 September 1981 (age 43); Madrid, Spain
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight	59 kg (130 lb; 9.3 st)
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	Climber
Amateur teams
2003–2004	Alcosto–Fuenlabrada
2003	Alcobaça CC–De Borla–Ruben & Rita
2004	Relax–Bodysol (stagiaire)
Professional teams
2005–2007	Relax–Fuenlabrada
2008–2009	Caisse d'Epargne
2010	Omega Pharma–Lotto
2011–2015	Team Katusha
2016–2017	Movistar Team
2018	EF Education First–Drapac p/b Cannondale
Major wins
	Grand Tours ; Vuelta a España 3 individual stages (2011, 2013) Stage races Vuelta a Burgos (2012) One-day races and Classics Gran Piemonte (2011) GP Miguel Induráin (2012) La Flèche Wallonne (2013)
Medal record
Representing Spain
Men's road bicycle racing
European Championships

Daniel Moreno Fernández (born 5 September 1981) is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2005 and 2018 for the Relax–GAM, Omega Pharma–Lotto, Team Katusha, Movistar Team and EF Education First–Drapac p/b Cannondale teams. He specialised in mountain and high-mountain races along with Grand Tours like the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España, winning three stages of the latter in 2011 and 2013.

Career

Amateur career

In 2003, Moreno was a member of the Alcosto–Fuenlabrada team, and he won the Volta a Portugal do Futuro. From September 2004, Moreno rode as a stagiaire with Relax–Bodysol. At his very first race, the annual Tour of Britain, he achieved a prominent result by finishing 5th in the general classification.

Relax–Fuenlabrada (2005–07)

In 2005, he remained full-time with Relax–Fuenlabrada. He advanced further by ranking 2nd at the Clásica de Ordizia and the Vuelta a Andalucía.

In 2006, he achieved his first victories by taking stage wins at the Clásica Internacional de Alcobendas and the Volta ao Alentejo. He supplemented his triumphs with three podiums at the Volta ao Alentejo, the Clásica Internacional de Alcobendas and the Vuelta a Burgos.

In 2007 it also turned out to be successful year for Moreno. He won stages at the Tour de San Luis, Vuelta a Chihuahua, and the Escalada a Montjuïc.^[2] Along with that, he showed himself to good advantage by taking 2nd place in a stage of the Vuelta a España and, thus, reaching 12th position in the final general classification. In September he announced his move to French team Agritubel for the next year^[3] but then Moreno renounced his own statement.

However, with the collapse of Relax–GAM in late 2007, the rider lost his permanent contract together with an opportunity to compete at professional races.

2008–10

Moreno managed to return to the peloton only in March 2008 after signing a contract with the Spanish team Caisse d'Epargne.

There he spent two seasons (2008–2009) working as a domestique for Alejandro Valverde^[4] and then moved to Omega Pharma–Lotto for a year.^[5]

Team Katusha (2011–15)

2011

In 2011 he joined Russian Team Katusha^[6] and became a domestique for his team leader, Joaquim Rodríguez. Accompanying Rodríguez in mountain races, Moreno managed to win several significant competitions including the Giro del Piemonte and the Vuelta a Burgos. On 23 August he triumphed in stage 4 of the Vuelta a España, joining the lone escapee of Chris Anker Sørensen in the final kilometres. Sorensen had been part of an earlier break and Moreno sat on his wheel, attacking in the final 400 metres (1,300 ft) as the peloton was charging behind.^[7] The next day he successfully assisted Rodríguez at Valdepeñas de Jaén. The coordinated performance of the two Spaniards brought Moreno to 3rd place while Rodríguez topped the podium. During all three weeks of the racem Moreno rode at his best and, thus, ranked 9th in the general classification. In October, Moreno won the Italian classic Giro del Piemonte, after shaking off the leading group of thirteen after the flamme rouge on an uphill false flat.^[8]

2012

In 2012 Moreno kept on going forward. He triumphed at the GP Miguel Induráin,^[9] took first place on stage 4 of the Vuelta a Andalucía and won 2 stages of the Critérium du Dauphiné. Moreno also firmly assisted Rodríguez to second overall at the Giro d'Italia. The Vuelta a España and other home races were among his top priorities for the ongoing season.^[10]

He went on to win the 2.HC classified Vuelta a Burgos, surviving a scare in the last stage after getting dropped on the Lagunas de Neila [es] mountain finish by two serious overall classification contenders, Colombians Esteban Chaves of Colombia–Coldeportes and Sergio Henao of Team Sky. Moreno ultimately limited his losses to 22 seconds on that stage, retaining the leader's jersey by 10 seconds over Henao. He also won 2 stages and the points classification at the race.^[11]

He also had a solid 5th-place finish in the Vuelta a España, where he helped his team leader Rodríguez in the mountain stages; Rodríguez took third overall.^[12]

2013

In 2013, Moreno won the World Tour race La Flèche Wallonne, after following an attack initiated by Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team) on the final climb, the Mur de Huy. He passed Gilbert and Carlos Betancur (Ag2r–La Mondiale) to grab the victory.^[13] He later continued his good form into the Critérium du Dauphiné where he finished 3rd overall. At the Vuelta a España, he won stages 4 and 9 and finished 10th in the final general classification.