Beñat Intxausti stepped down to Pro Continental level to join Euskadi-Murias in 2019, but the Spaniard aims to eventually work his way back up to the WorldTour. In an interview with Marca, Intxausti said he is fully recovered from a long-term spell of mononucleosis, which set him back over the previous three years, and that he will start his season at the Mallorca Challenge. "Since July I am finding myself very well," said Intxausti, who was diagnosed with the illness in 2016. "When I signed with the team, I had some good time off to get strong and now I'm good, practically normal, with no problems. I'm improving every day." Intxausti spent three seasons at Team Sky, where a series of health issues left him with sub-par performances and nearly unable to race. He was not offered a contract renewal from Team Sky and instead found a deal with Euskadi Murias, a team based in his native Basque Country.ADVERTISEMENT "What I was looking for was to be calm and at home with people close to me," he said. “There was another option that we were negotiating, but then Euskadi Murias and Odriozola came in. Rubén [Pérez, sports director] is a very good friend of mine and we trained together for a long time. It is a team from close to home and it can be good for me." In total, Intxausti spent 11 seasons on the WorldTour. He raced for Euskaltel – Euskadi in 2010 before joining Movistar, where he spent five seasons. He moved over to Team Sky in 2016 through 2018. His palmares includes the Vuelta Asturias (2012), Tour of Beijing (2013), and two stages at the Giro d'Italia (2013 and 2015). He was also fourth overall at the Critérium du Dauphiné and eighth at the Giro d'Italia, among other solid GC performances. Because of his illness, however, Intxausti only competed in a few events each season that he was contracted with Team Sky. He was diagnosed with mononucleosis in early 2016 and raced 15 race days. In 2017, he competed in two events; Clasica San Sebastián in late July but did not finish, and the Tour of Guangxi in October, where he abandoned on the second day. In 2018, he started three races and abandoned two of them, dropping out of the Tour of Norway on the opening day in May and, although he completed the Norwegian round of the Hammer Series, he was a DNF at Cyclassics Hamburg.
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