Euskaltel-Euskadi Discussion

[luckyboy]

Is it vital that they stay in the WorldTour? I mean the sponsors aren't going to pull out if they're ProContinental, and they wouldn't have to go to races which are irrelevant for them.

Would be disappointing if they started taking on foreigners.

Has it just been Unai Etxebarria and Samu that have been non-Basque?

There's a parallel to the 'hiring foreigners' thing - the football team Real Sociedad only recruit Basques and non-Spaniards which is kinda weird seeing as they are called 'Real'.

 

[luckyboy]

moving some posts..

 

[Duartista]

Is it vital that they stay in the WorldTour? I mean the sponsors aren't going to pull out if they're ProContinental, and they wouldn't have to go to races which are irrelevant for them.

Would be disappointing if they started taking on foreigners.

Has it just been Unai Etxebarria and Samu that have been non-Basque?

There's a parallel to the 'hiring foreigners' thing - the football team Real Sociedad only recruit Basques and non-Spaniards which is kinda weird seeing as they are called 'Real'.

I think they had to stop that because it was obvious discrimination against Spaniards.

 

[luckyboy]

Ah didn't know that, thanks.

 

[auscyclefan94]

That will be me if they fold!

IN all seriousness, it is a shame if they are in trouble.

 

[Arnout]

I think they had to stop that because it was obvious discrimination against Spaniards.

Nah, just lack of players. Athletic Bilbao still adhere to the policy and it doesn't seem to do them serious harm.

Is it vital that they stay in the WorldTour? I mean the sponsors aren't going to pull out if they're ProContinental, and they wouldn't have to go to races which are irrelevant for them.

Would be disappointing if they started taking on foreigners.

Has it just been Unai Etxebarria and Samu that have been non-Basque?

There's a parallel to the 'hiring foreigners' thing - the football team Real Sociedad only recruit Basques and non-Spaniards which is kinda weird seeing as they are called 'Real'.

Unai Etxebarria raced with a Venezuelan flag because he's anti-Spanish and he had the possibility to do so. Actually there seem to be quite a few people of Basque origin in South America, I remember Santiago Botero also saying something like that.

Anyway, Etxebarria also was the cyclist presence in the stop the Vuelta coming to Basque country movement this year.

 

[Cimber]

that just can't happen!!!! never

euskaltel, lampre, lotto and quick step are the images of cycling so they must stay forever!!!!

we can also add teams like liqui, saxo, and movistar to this list tho they have changed sponsors and kit colours over the years so aren't as recognizable as those i mentioned. cycling isn't the same without orange and pink and blue.

(i may be forgetting some other long term sponsor)

I felt the same way with Mapei back in the days

 

[Duartista]

Nah, just lack of players. Athletic Bilbao still adhere to the policy and it doesn't seem to do them serious harm.

Bilbao are like Euskaltel though - you can play for them if you come through the 'cantera'. When Real Sociedad abandoned the policy, for a while they signed foreigners but not Spanish players, which was seen (rightly I think) as unfair.

 

[hrotha]

Unai Etxebarria raced with a Venezuelan flag because he's anti-Spanish and he had the possibility to do so.

I don't think being anti-Spanish necessarily had anything to do with it. By keeping his Venezuelan nationality he didn't have to do no military service. By having a Venezuelan licence, he could ride the Worlds and what not.

By the way, for other people here: Unai is Basque. Born in Venezuela to Basque parents, lived almost all his life in the Basque Country.

 

[Kvinto]

it would be a blow to my desire for watching cycling beyond the classics' season

 

[Zam_Olyas]

It will be a sad day, EE are kinda like a cult figure team.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The basque fans on climbs would be what i miss the most.

EE is so much dedication and so much passion.

There will still be a massive number of them, if there's one thing they love in the Basque country it's cycling. But certainly they'd be devastated, not least because the Basque-Navarrese amateur scene is the most active in the country and includes pretty much all the major teams' feeders. Movistar and Caja Rural are both from just across the road, but other than them Spanish cycling is in the doldrums a bit, with Xacobeo, Contentpolis and the like all going in recent times. Maybe someone like Ipar Kutxa, BBK or even Kaiku could be persuaded to help with the shortfall, I don't know.

Maybe EE needs to be Basque based but have Spanish speaking riders.

I know I know - but it would help keep the team going

Would be a said day if it was true

Even some of the Basque nationalist leaders over time have been first-language Spanish-speakers who've only picked up the Basque language later in life.

Is it vital that they stay in the WorldTour? I mean the sponsors aren't going to pull out if they're ProContinental, and they wouldn't have to go to races which are irrelevant for them.

Would be disappointing if they started taking on foreigners.

Has it just been Unai Etxebarria and Samu that have been non-Basque?

There's a parallel to the 'hiring foreigners' thing - the football team Real Sociedad only recruit Basques and non-Spaniards which is kinda weird seeing as they are called 'Real'.

Unai is Basque. Samu is not, but Victor Cabedo has signed for 2012 and is from Comunidad Valenciana. However he is dating Basque women's cyclist Dorleta Zorrilla, who is on a Fundación Euskadi-related women's team.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

http://www.eitb.com/es/deportes/cic...enueva-su-licencia-maxima-categoria-ciclista/

This is a bit more optimistic for 2012, at least.

 

[Arnout]

How did they do that? Utter surprise...

Guess the ranking doesn't compare with the internal ranking again

 

[uphillstruggle]

How did they do that? Utter surprise...

Guess the ranking doesn't compare with the internal ranking again

More to the point how did Vacansoleil do it? At least EE have Samu and lets all be thankful for that.But serously, EE are one of the most entertaining teams in pro cycling regardless of points, they really should think of these things. Nieve and Anton's Stage wins this year were truly memorable moments and Samu was one of the most attacking riders of the Tour. People don't tune in to see who scores the most WT points.

 

[Martin]

@Parrulo: Well if you've mentioned Movistar (ex Caisse d Epargne, and before that Banesto) you shouldnt have forgot other team - HTC (ex magenta boys from Tmobile/Telekom) too

 

[Libertine Seguros]

@Parrulo: Well if you've mentioned Movistar (ex Caisse d Epargne, and before that Banesto) you shouldnt have forgot other team - HTC (ex magenta boys from Tmobile/Telekom) too

Abarcá Sports (Movistar) are the longest continuous team in the current péloton, however. Their direct lineage goes back to 1980, when the Reynolds team first appeared.

There may be other teams with longer lineages, but that's with team breakups, mergers, and dismantlings-but-setting-up-new-teams-that-are-more-or-less-the-same-team shenanigans.

 

[Matthijs]

More to the point how did Vacansoleil do it? At least EE have Samu and lets all be thankful for that.But serously, EE are one of the most entertaining teams in pro cycling regardless of points, they really should think of these things. Nieve and Anton's Stage wins this year were truly memorable moments and Samu was one of the most attacking riders of the Tour. People don't tune in to see who scores the most WT points.

No one saved Kelme and they where the godfathers of stupid attacks in the mountain, before Euskaltal even got to ride te Tour. I remember a stage somewhere in the 90's four Kelme riders where sort of chasing each other, apparently with no cooperation whatsoever. I see Euskaltel as the natural replacement for Kelme (which was the longest team and sponsor at that time).

 

[42x16ss]

I think I could handle EE taking a hit and dropping to Pro-Conti status.

I've been annoyed for ages that they have to send a squad to races like Flanders and Paris-Roubaix when their riders could be preparing for/racing races that suit them while allowing teams like TopSport-Vlandaren to ride the cobbled classics instead. Watching Euskaltel riders on the Flanders/Arenberg cobbles might be hilarious but it really adds nothing to the races at all.

Having said that, EE disbanding would be a sad, sad day for Pro cycling

 

[Kvinto]

EE ain't guilty of what UCI introduced this season, if they had a choice they wouldn't have ridden either of Roubaix and Ronde but an availability of the PRT status is vital for the Tour invitation nowadays.
In fact i'm a bit disappointed about they are losing their young talants to the Movistar second year in a row: Intxausti for 2011 and Castroviejo for 2012. It doesn't look good in the long prospect...

 

[craig1985]

From what I understand, Intxausti was supposed to ride the Tour for EE, but didn't and he got upset over it.

 

[hrotha]

From what I understand, Intxausti was supposed to ride the Tour for EE, but didn't and he got upset over it.

He wasn't scheduled to ride the Tour, but he expected a change of plans after his good spring results. Euskaltel chose to stick to their original plans and have Beñat ride the Vuelta instead. He was upset and his performance after his break was abysmal. To be honest I was surprised to see Beñat get back in form this year, I thought he was a good-for-nothing diva.

 

[craig1985]

I remember seeing him ride the Vuelta last year and in the first couple of stages I was wondering what the fuss was with Intxausti.

 

[El Pistolero]

Abarcá Sports (Movistar) are the longest continuous team in the current péloton, however. Their direct lineage goes back to 1980, when the Reynolds team first appeared.

There may be other teams with longer lineages, but that's with team breakups, mergers, and dismantlings-but-setting-up-new-teams-that-are-more-or-less-the-same-team shenanigans.

Doesn't Lotto go back to the 80s as well?

 

[just some guy]

Doesn't Lotto go back to the 80s as well?

I always though Lotto´s was the longest running current sponsorship in cycling