The team Euskaltel-Euskadi has just announced the incorporation of two new sports directors for next year, Ruben Perez et Pablo Urtasun. The two men already know the team well, having been professional cyclists with the Basque outfit for several years. They will bring their experience alongside the two other sports directors Jorge Azanza et Santi Barrancothe four having raced together for five seasons under the jersey ofEuskaltel-Euskadibetween 2009 and 2013. With these two recruits, the team intends to increase its number of races in the calendar, with the aim of finishing the 2025 season in the top 30 teams in the UCI ranking, which would give them access to an invitation to there Vuelta 2026.
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“The objective will be to place among the first 30”
“I am very happy to come back to my home team. Thanks to the Euskadi FoundationI was able to become a professional cyclist 20 years ago and start a great sporting career for which I will always be very grateful. This year, Iñaki Isasi contacted me and explained to me that they want to bring the team back to the top, year after year, with very motivating areas of work, and I couldn't resist the urge to be part of the project. I remember how special the 'Orange Tide' on the roads was for me and above all, how important it is for young cyclists to have a local team with which to dream of becoming professional. For this reason and many others, this team has always been special. Next year, I will have the opportunity to return to the team and bring all my experience acquired as a rider and director over the last few years.”explain Ruben Perez.
Pablo Urtasun discusses the great ambitions of the Basque team: “It’s a new stage and a return to what was my home, the team Euskaltel-Euskadi. It's very special for me, because I was a professional cyclist there. It's a home Basque team, and we have our supporters who encourage us. So I'm really looking forward to getting started. The goal will be to place among the top 30. I think we have made the right recruitments for this, with fast riders to earn points and get invitations to the grand tours. We will work to take a step forward and achieve this goal together.”
