Euskaltel Euskadi

Euskaltel Euskadi (short Euskaltel ) is a former cycling team from the Spanish Basque country that took part in the UCI ProTour and the successor series UCI World Tour. The seat of the team was in Derio. The team was founded in 1994 and broke up at the end of the 2013 season.

Organization

Sponsor of the team was the telecommunications company Euskaltel, which primarily operates in the Basque Country. Euskaltel is a cooperative where the Basque regional government is involved. Euskadi (actually Fundación Euskadi Ciclista ) is a cycling club, which was founded in the early 1990s by two taxi drivers in Bilbao, Basque to give young cyclists the opportunity to mature into a professional with little spatial variation. In 1998, Euskaltel to sponsor, after which the team became one of the largest Spanish professional teams. The team from the Basque also frame manufacturer Orbea, with components from Shimano is equipped.

For a long time almost exclusively were Basques or Spaniards born in the Basque Country at Euskaltel -Euskadi under contract. With Unai Etxebarria there was a driver who was born in Venezuela, but Basque parents did; This, however, has now ended his career. However, neither of the two criteria met Samuel Sánchez, this comes from the northern Spanish region of Asturias, however, went for the smaller Basque team Olarra Erkoreka Euskaltel team manager Miguel Madariaga. For the 2010 season has been committed with Romain Sicard for the second time after Thierry Elissalde ( 1994-95 ) is a professional cyclist from the French Basque country. 2011 went to the obligation of Pierre Cazaux first two French Basques at the same time for the team.

After the 2012 season the team Euskaltel -Euskadi gave up her strict policy and committed with Tarik Chaoufi, Jure KOCJAN, Ricardo Mestre, Alexander Serebrjakow, Ioannis Tamouridis, Robert Vrecer and the German Steffen Radochla and André Schulze, many drivers from other countries. With Juan José Lobato, a further Spaniard signed for the team, who came neither from the Basque country, had completed his junior career still there.

Operators of the team was up to the end of the 2012 season, the Fundación Euskadi Ciclista (sp., dt: Basque Cycling Foundation), which by the company Basque Cycling Pro Team ( en., dt Basque professional cycling team), a subsidiary of the main sponsor Euskaltel was replaced. Since the salaries of November and December 2012, the team could not pay, the financial bottleneck should be resolved by the sale of the team buses to the main sponsor.

Beginning of September 2013 it was announced that the Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso wants to buy the team for six million euros, as its economic survival could sure .. On September 23, the team management said that Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso now but not the team Euskaltel -Euskadi will take over. The reason for the failure of negotiations irreconcilable differences in some aspects of the proposed acquisition were called. One of the main points should have been according to the Spanish newspaper Marca message that Alonso did not want to take over the ranks of the backroom staff and not accept the contracts with the biking sponsor Orbea and the clothing company Bioracer. The team management, however, balked at the desire of the two -time Formula 1 World Champion, the seat of the racing team from the Basque country to move to Asturias ..

The farm belonging to the project team Euskadi has continued to operate after the acquisition of the Pro Team by Basque Cycling Pro Team in 2013 and the closing end of the season by the Fundación Euskadi Ciclista.

Achievements

The first big success, the team at the Spanish road Radmeisterschaften 1996, when Iñigo González de Heredia and Alvaro Gonzalez de Galdeano the first two places occupied in the time trial. The first success with a "Grand Tour", the team in 1999. Roberto Laiseka could the mountain top finish on the Alto de Abantos decide on the 18th stage of the Vuelta a España for themselves. The following year he repeated this success and won the 11th stage of the Vuelta a España with destination in Andorra. 2001 succeeded in the Tour de France at the first part of the first victory, again Laiseka, which won the 14th stage to Luz Ardiden -. Two years later, Iban Mayo was the victory Laisekas outdo even by the prestigious arrival in L' Alpe d' Huez in the Tour de France decided for themselves. In the same year he also won the Basque Country Tour and in the Critérium du Dauphiné following. This success, the team could repeat in 2005 by Iñigo Landaluze. Aitor González Jiménez won in the same year, the Tour de Suisse and Roberto Laiseka and Samuel Sanchez won the 11th or 13th stage of the Vuelta a España. Sanchez was able to regain the 13th stage in the Vuelta a España also in 2006. There was also a victory by Igor Anton at the 16th section. In 2007, Sanchez just past, as he was able to decide the 15th, 19th and 20th stage of the Vuelta a España for themselves. At the Tour de France Amets Txurruka was named most aggressive rider. Mikel Astarloza won the 16th stage of the 2007 Tour de France, the victory but were denied him because of a positive doping tests in advance of the tour. 2010, the team was again three stages of the Vuelta a España to win. Igor Anton won the 4th and 10th stage and Mikel Nieve, the 16th, the duo won the following year for the first time in team history stages of the Giro d' Italia. Anton won the 14th and the 15th stage Nieve. At the Tour de France Samuel Sanchez decided the mountain top finish on stage 12 in Luz Ardiden - for himself and won the mountain jersey.

Euskaltel -Euskadi was at eleven participations in the Tour de France three stages, once the mountain classification, and once the prize for most combative rider win. The Vuelta a España is even twelve stage wins, including two stage wins in the Giro d' Italia come.

Season 2013

Successes in the UCI World Tour

Successes in the UCI Europe Tour

Additions - Disposals

Team

Placings in UCI rankings

UCI World Ranking

UCI ProTour

UCI World Calendar

UCI World Tour

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