Euskaltel–Euskadi (UCI team code:EUS) was a professional
road bicycle racing team from Spain, Europe. The team was commercially sponsored, but was also partly funded by the
Basque Government until the end of 2013, with riders either from the
Basque Country,
Navarre,
La Rioja, and the
French Basque Country, or who had grown up in the cycling culture of those regions:[1][2] This policy was abandoned to enable retention of World Tour status. Its sponsor was
Euskaltel, a Basque telecom company. Euskaltel–Euskadi was famous for its all-orange team kits. Whenever the
Tour de France passed through the
Basque Country many spectators lined the route dressed in the team's orange or the colours of the
Basque flag.
The Euskaltel team also has a second team inside the "Fundacion Euskadi", this team rode in a continental category, the name of the team was Orbea. This team was created with the aim of forming the young cyclist before going to the Euskaltel–Euskadi.
History
Following the creation of the
Euskadi Cycling Foundation (June 1993), Euskadi was established in 1994 (as Euskadi-Petronor), and has been recognizable among the
peloton for their bright orange
kit (which developed later in the team's history).[3] After a financially turbulent first few seasons, in which the team was on the brink of folding multiple times, they secured their long term and most successful sponsor Euskaltel.[3] By 1999, with Roberto Laiseka winning the team's first
Grand Tour stage win this investment had paid off.[3] In 2001 they were invited to the Tour de France and achieved another victory for Laiseka in the
Pyrénées.[3]
After a 2003 Tour de France breakthrough success during which both
Iban Mayo and
Haimar Zubeldia finished in the top-10 of the general classification, with Mayo winning the prized
Alpe d'Huez stage. Euskaltel–Euskadi was considered to be a strong contender for the
2004 Tour de France as well. Iban Mayo's commanding victory in the 2004
Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré stage race (traditionally seen as one of the tests for Tour de France contenders), including defeating
Lance Armstrong in the
Mont Ventouxhill climbindividual time trial stage, further fueled the hype. Unfortunately, Mayo was injured in a crash on a pavé section of an early stage of the Tour de France, and abandoned in the first
Pyrénées stage. Zubeldia also failed to deliver in the 2004 Tour de France, to the chagrin of Basque fans lining the road. "I wish that our uniform was not so easy to spot," admitted directeur sportif
Julián Gorospe.
In the 2005 season the team recruited
Aitor González, who won the
Tour de Suisse. They again failed to make an impression in the
2005 Tour de France. In 2006 the sporting director Julián Gorospe was replaced by
Igor González de Galdeano, who became technical secretary. Euskaltel–Euskadi ranked 13th in the
UCI World Tour rankings among 18 teams, but only the top 15 teams automatically qualify for the World Tour for the following year (source?). The other teams qualify based on a variety of criteria, including team points and a dedication to clean racing, but the most important are points earned by individual riders.
Under points pressure, Euskaltel confirmed in 2012 that it would break with its long-standing policy of signing a majority of
Basque riders and would employ riders of other countries to assure its UCI World Tour standing. This has had knock on effects for the makeup of other traditionally
Basque teams such as
Orbea and
Caja Rural. For example, in the 2013 season Euskaltel's
Amets Txurruka and
Iván Velasco moved to
Caja Rural.[4]
The withdrawal of sponsorship via government funds prompted the team to announce it would be unable to continue after the 2013 season. In September 2013
Formula One racing driver
Fernando Alonso expressed a wish to ensure the team's survival by buying their
UCI World Tour license[5] but reached no agreement with the team.[6]
In 2018
Mikel Landa, the President of the Euskadi Cycling Foundation, established Team Fundación Euskadi on the
Continental tour.[3] In 2020, Euskaltel revived its sponsorship, thereby rebranding the team with the name of its predecessor, Euskaltel-Euskadi.[7]
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abcdeBelbin, Giles (October 2018). "Jersey Tales No6: Euskaltel-Euskadi. With rider development as its core purpose, the Basque outfit built a cult following during its time in the pro ranks". Cyclist: The Thrill of the Ride. 079: 35–36.