Euskaltel-Euskadi closing

[Devilen]

http://www.euskalteleuskadi.com/es/...ante-la-falta-de-un-segundo-patrocinador.html

http://ibanmayoblog.blogspot.com/2013/08/official-report-euskaltel-euskadi-is.html

well ... given the economic problems in Spain i can't really say I'm surprised, but they'll be missed, if for nothing else then due to the fact that they've been around for ages

 

[nesocip]

I dont even feel like following cycling any more, after 15 years of cheering for the orange underdogs.

A damn sad day.

 

[Netserk]

I dont even feel like following cycling any more, after 15 years of cheering for the orange underdogs.

A damn sad day.

They were half dead this year already...

 

[Angliru]

They were half dead this year already...

They've contributed a great deal to the sport and represented the region well. I will definitely miss their presense in the peloton.

 

[Sylvester]

A sad day for cycling in the Basque Country.

 

[Sophistic82]

i'm probably the only one who isnt gonna miss them. a team that rather hired someone with the "right" grandmother than someone who grew up not that many kms from their base...

 

[Angliru]

i'm probably the only one who isnt gonna miss them. a team that rather hired someone with the "right" grandmother than someone who grew up not that many kms from their base...

That's quite the inaccurate oversimplification.

 

[Afrank]

Sad that they will go, but expected. They've been hanging by a thread for a long time now. Now one last big hurrah at the Vuelta, hopefully they attack like crazy and go out with a bang.

 

[murali]

The team policy, till they brought in guys for points, is something that i highly appreciate. In fact, the Basque team is the last truly regional team, having the entire infrastructure for training riders from youth to the professional peloton. The small section of people in Spain could come up with such a laudable program for such a long time is commendable.

The closure of the team is a sign of death of regionalism in cycling. Is it a good thing? I am not sure. But, if i will be watching cycling races with my grand children, this team will definitely feature in the stories of the "old times".

I just hope that the team simply decides to come out of WT and race locally for a couple of years; and return to WT when they can get back local funding.

 

[Amsterhammer]

Sad that they will go, but expected. They've been hanging by a thread for a long time now. Now one last big hurrah at the Vuelta, hopefully they attack like crazy and go out with a bang.

Exactly what I thought when I saw this sad news. I expect to see lots of orange attacks!

 

[Roderick]

This is what they deserved after releasing Txurruka

 

[hoerpi]

Sad day for cycling indeed, Euskaltel was an important part for me personally getting interested in cycling. Hopefully la Fundacion can continue to raise Basque talent.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Yes, this is bad thing, but life and cycling must go on.

We will not see a team go berserk in the Vuelta, rather I predict riders will be trying of get as many points as possible.

 

[ILovecycling]

Its sad,i really like their project but it is not easy with this economic situation...bye bye carrots

We will not see a team go berserk in the Vuelta, rather I predict riders will be trying of get as many points as possible.

T.H.I.S

 

[jens_attacks]

rip you great team...

it will be a sad 2014 without the carrots

 

[Boeing]

thank god we will have fewer crashes in the group tempo part of each stage taking out contenders.

 

[JRanton]

Yes, this is bad thing, but life and cycling must go on.

We will not see a team go berserk in the Vuelta, rather I predict riders will be trying of get as many points as possible.

Are points actually an issue for next season though with only 17 teams for 18 places and with no pro-conti teams looking to step up? I guess they would still be useful for 2015 but it makes more sense for the Carrots to attack and get themselves noticed at the Vuelta.

 

[hrotha]

Igor González de Galdeano killed this team almost single-handedly.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

2013, the year that cycling died. **** this sport.

I'll put "American Pie" on.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Are points actually an issue for next season though with only 17 teams for 18 places and with no pro-conti teams looking to step up? I guess they would still be useful for 2015 but it makes more sense for the Carrots to attack and get themselves noticed at the Vuelta.

Unfortunately the rules of cycling rankings still places too much emphasis on placements. No team wants to be at the bottom of the pile for too long. I predict placement racing, not chaos tactics. Time will tell.

 

[Pippo_San]

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

 

[batchuba]

That is such a shame.
I love Euskaltel - if I ever truly supported a team as a whole, it's always been them.

Lets deal with reality though - they ****ing sucked. Consistently and thoroughly sucked. They had good riders, who could win stages and whatnot - but as a TEAM, they have been a complete disgrace for quite a while.

TTT's aren't everything, but it's telling to view their recent TTT record outside Spain ( where they occasionally did less than embarrass themselves )

Tour 2013 – 21/22
Giro 2013 – 22/23
Tirreno-Adriatico 2013 – 22/22
Eneco 2012 – 20/21
Giro 2012 – 22/22
Tirreno-Adriatico 2012 – 21/22
Tour 2011 – 22/22
Giro 2011 – 23/23

That's just ****ing ridiculous. Granted they were often mostly spindly grimpeurs, but so are many other outfits who didn't get crushed by every wildcard pro-conti team every single time.
Eternally scattered randomly around the peloton, they weren't a team - just a bunch of guys who happened to be wearing the same jersey. Which is odd, when one considers their ethnocentric philosophy.
I blame the staff/management - they had good talent but something very wrong in their set up.

I am genuinely upset at the demise of this genuinely awful team.

 

[hrotha]

What. How were they not a team? They pulled some pretty fantastic team tactics with some frequency. Hell, the one upside of Txurruka being kicked out is that he'd be allowed to Txurruka it up, whereas he had been on a leash at Euskaltel.

Their average level was pretty low, but their A-squad was good and perfectly capable of working as a team.

 

[therhodeo]

Will miss the carrots. Sad for the Basque area losing them.

 

[hfer07]

what a pity........ but that's the very reflection of what current economic burdens of the region are taken over the sport.......

It will be strange to not have them around anymore as a team while their riders are wearing different colours..... I mean - I still have to grasp the idea of Nibali on Astana colours-let alone Samu or I-Anton on Saxo or whatever team they'll join next season...

Will they sell their Pro-license?