Euskaltel-Euskadi

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Euskaltel-Euskadi

Team information

UCI code

EUS

Based

Spain

Founded

1994

Discipline(s)

Road

Status

ProTour

Key personnel

General Manager

Julian Gorospe

Previous team name(s)

2005-
ProTour
2001-2004
Div. I
1998-2000
1994-1997

Euskaltel-Euskadi
(EUS)
Euskaltel-Euskadi
(EUS)
Euskaltel-Euskadi
Equipo Euskadi




Team kit

Euskaltel-Euskadi (UCI Team Code: EUS) is a professional road bicycle racing team. The team is commercially sponsored, but also works as an unofficial Basque national team and is partly funded by the Basque Government. Its riders are either Basque, or at least have grown up in the Basque cycling culture. Its sponsor is Euskaltel, a Basque telecom company. The team is famous for its all-orange uniforms, and it has been known to hand out orange Euskaltel t-shirts and Basque flags to fans when the Tour de France makes a swing into the Basque Country.

After a breakthrough 2003 Tour de France during which both Iban Mayo and Haimar Zubeldia finished in the top-10 of the general classification, with Mayo winning the Alpe d'Huez stage, Euskaltel-Euskadi was considered to be a strong contender for the 2004 Tour de France. Iban Mayo's commanding victory in the Dauphiné Libéré stage race (traditionally seen as one of the tests for Tour de France contenders), including defeating Lance Armstrong in the Mont Ventoux hillclimb individual 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 same edition of 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 Julian 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.

Created in 1994, the team has participated in 5 Tours de France with 2 stage wins. As of 2005, the team's sporting director is Julian Gorospe and the team budget is $7.8 million.

Euskaltel rider Iban Mayo preparing for stage 11 of the 2006 Tour de France

1 2006 honours
2 2007 honours
3 2007 ProTeam
4 Team equipment
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] 2006 honours

Samuel Sánchez : 1st, Züri-Metzgete
Iban Mayo : 1st, Overall, Vuelta a Burgos (and Stage 4 win)
Iban Mayo : 1st, Stage 6, Dauphiné Libéré (Briançon - La Toussuire)
Iban Mayo : 1st, Subida a Urkiola

[edit] 2007 honours

Trofeo Calvia (2007-02-15) - Unai Etxebarria

[edit] 2007 ProTeam

As of January 19, 2007.^[1]

	Rider	Date of Birth
	Beñat Albizuri	May 17, 1981 (age 25)
	Igor Antón	March 2, 1983 (age 24)
	Lander Aperribai	June 15, 1982 (age 24)
	Andoni Aranaga	January 1, 1979 (age 28)
	Mikel Astarloza	November 17, 1979 (age 27)
	Jorge Azanza	June 16, 1982 (age 24)
	Jon Bru	October 18, 1977 (age 29)
	Unai Etxebarria	November 21, 1972 (age 34)
	Koldo Fernández	September 13, 1981 (age 25)
	Aitor Galdos	November 8, 1979 (age 27)
	Dioni Galparsoro	August 13, 1978 (age 28)
	Aitor Hernandez	January 24, 1982 (age 25)
	Iban Iriondo	May 1, 1984 (age 22)
	Markel Irizar	February 5, 1980 (age 27)

	Rider	Date of Birth
	Iñaki Isasi	April 20, 1977 (age 29)
	Andoni Lafuente	September 6, 1985 (age 21)
	Iñigo Landaluze	May 9, 1977 (age 29)
	Anton Luengo	April 17, 1981 (age 25)
	Ivan Mayoz	September 30, 1981 (age 25)
	Aketza Peña	March 4, 1981 (age 26)
	Alan Pérez	July 15, 1982 (age 24)
	Rubén Pérez	October 30, 1981 (age 25)
	Samuel Sánchez	February 5, 1978 (age 29)
	Amets Txurruka	November 10, 1982 (age 24)
	Unai Uribarri	February 28, 1984 (age 23)
	Gorka Verdugo	November 4, 1978 (age 28)
	Haimar Zubeldia	April 1, 1977 (age 29)
	Joseba Zubeldia	March 19, 1979 (age 28)