Management

EUSKALTEL EUSKADI (EUS) - ESP

The Basque Country-based Euskaltel Euskadi team has undergone a revolution for 2013, adding riders with no Basque connections to its roster for the first time since it was formed in 1994. The team still proudly represents the cycling-mad region and still races in a bright orange-coloured jersey, but has decided to take a more international approach to cycling and remain in the UCI WorldTour.

New team manager Igor González de Galdeano has driven the changes at the team, signing 11 new riders for 2013 –the team's 19th season in professional cycling. These include Spanish talent such as Jon Aberasturi and Garikoitz Bravo but also Jure Kocjan of Slovenia, UCI Africa Tour’s winner Tarik Chaoufi of Morocco, Stefan Radochla of Germany and Alexander Serebryakov of Russia.

Samuel Sanchez and Igor Anton remain as team leaders and will again target the Grand Tours and other UCI WorldTour stage races. Sanchez has indicated he will ride the Giro d'Italia in May and the Vuelta a España in September. The 2008 Beijing Olympic Champion has promised to continue racing at least until the Rio di Janeiro Games in 2016.

Anton has confirmed his talent in recent years with stage victories at the Vuelta a España and the Giro d'Italia. He is an aggressive climber, who is hugely popular with the Basque cycling fans.

Other riders of note include Mikel Astarloza, Gorka and Ion Izagirre, Mikel Nieve, ex-Under 23 UCI Road World Champion Romain Sicard, Pablo Urtasun and Gorka Verdugo.

“The UCI WorldTour is very demanding and we have to change our mentality and race like a top-flight team, which is why we are in the UCI WorldTour. We have to race to win and if not then remember that second, third and fourth places are also very important,” Sanchez said, inspiring his team mates for the 2013 season.