Euskaltel Issues - where will they go?

[movingtarget]

Sanchez is not Basque but it might be time for them to open their team up to more non Basque riders. I think they are limiting themselves and it also might open up more sponsorship opportunities. Basques probably won't agree but they need some new blood. The results sheet is looking a bit bare. Rather see them survive in some form than not at all.

 

[nvpacchi]

Sanchez is not Basque but it might be time for them to open their team up to more non Basque riders. I think they are limiting themselves and it also might open up more sponsorship opportunities. Basques probably won't agree but they need some new blood. The results sheet is looking a bit bare. Rather see them survive in some form than not at all.

If they opened up past the boundaries of the Basque country, they would be in jeopardy of losing all sponsorship and support from the government, which would have them in a similar or worse situation. Worst of all then, they would just become "another team" with a jaded identity.

 

[hrotha]

EE's problem is not a lack of Basque talent, it's keeping said talent from leaving. That wouldn't change if they abandoned their current philosophy. Hell, it might even make things harder, as right now many Basque riders are emotionally attached to the team and would rather ride for them than for anyone else, other things being equal.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Sanchez is not Basque but it might be time for them to open their team up to more non Basque riders. I think they are limiting themselves and it also might open up more sponsorship opportunities. Basques probably won't agree but they need some new blood. The results sheet is looking a bit bare. Rather see them survive in some form than not at all.

They are adding a second non-Basque next year in Victor Cabedo, who's from Comunidad Valenciana.

 

[Angliru]

EE's problem is not a lack of Basque talent, it's keeping said talent from leaving. That wouldn't change if they abandoned their current philosophy. Hell, it might even make things harder, as right now many Basque riders are emotionally attached to the team and would rather ride for them than for anyone else, other things being equal.

+1
Just as some riders make a name for themselves, they're swept up by other teams with more dollars to spare. Most recently Castroviejo and Intxausti.

 

[uphillstruggle]

They are adding a second non-Basque next year in Victor Cabedo, who's from Comunidad Valenciana.

If Nieve is from Leitza doesn't that make him Navarran rather than Basque? Regardless, as I understand the team riders who come through the Basque team ranks can rider from EE even if they are technical Basque. Hence Sanchez.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

If Nieve is from Leitza doesn't that make him Navarran rather than Basque?

Mikel is a Basque name, correct?

 

[Swabian Lass]

They've still got Romain Sicard and he's French isn't he? He came through the Orbea development team. I thought that they take the occasional non-Basque rider who comes through that route, but the overall character of the team has to stay Basque to keep the government support.

If they go Pro Conti they'll still get invites to the races they want to do. Can't see the TdF without the Basques in the Pyrenees. Could have a lot of advantages for them. I do wonder if the politics will let it happen though. This is one reason I have reservations about national teams in cycling. All sort of factors come into play and it can get very messy.

 

[Squire]

They've still got Romain Sicard and he's French isn't he?

Sicard & Cazaux are French Basques.

 

[ramjambunath]

They've still got Romain Sicard and he's French isn't he? He came through the Orbea development team. I thought that they take the occasional non-Basque rider who comes through that route, but the overall character of the team has to stay Basque to keep the government support.

If they go Pro Conti they'll still get invites to the races they want to do. Can't see the TdF without the Basques in the Pyrenees. Could have a lot of advantages for them. I do wonder if the politics will let it happen though. This is one reason I have reservations about national teams in cycling. All sort of factors come into play and it can get very messy.

Sicard is Basque, from the French Basque region.

 

[hrotha]

And Navarre is Basque. Not everybody agrees, of course, including many Navarrese, but as far as Euskaltel is concerned Navarre is Basque.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Navarre/Nafarroa is considered as Basque land by many, but not by all. Certainly there are some towns and cities in the region which are pretty Basque strongholds - Leitza, Lekunberri and Goizueta in particular spring to mind. They even fly the Ikurriña on the town hall of Goizueta. Even in the mostly Spanish parts of the area there are those that identify themselves as Basques. In its simplest form, the lands claimed as Basque are: Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa and Alava (País Vasco), Nafarroa (Navarre), Lapurdi, Nafarroa Beherea and Zuberoa (Pays-Basque). Only the former three are the official Basque country.

Sicard and Cazaux are both French Basques, hence why they're in the Basque team.

For the record, here's what I think is an exhaustive list of riders from outside País Vasco who have raced for the orangemen:

Íñigo Cuesta (Villarcayo, Burgos) 1994-5
Thierry Elissalde (Bayonne, Lapurdi) 1994-5
Roberto Lezaun (Pamplona, Navarre) 1995
David García Markína (Pamplona, Navarre) 1996-7
Igor Flores (Urdiain, Navarre) 1996-2002
Unai Etxebarría (Caracas, Venezuela) 1997-2007
Ángel Castresana (Medina de Pomar, Burgos) 1998-2001
Peio Arreitunandia (Villa de Cruces, Galicia) 1999-2000
Iker Flores (Urdiain, Navarre) 1999-2006 (brother of Igor)
Rubén Díaz de Cerio (Logroño, La Rioja) 2000-3
Samuel Sánchez (Oviedo, Asturias) 2000-11
Patxi Ugarte (Pamplona, Navarre) 2001
Egoi Martínez (Etxarri-Aranatz, Navarre) 2002-5, 2008-11
Gorka Verdugo (Etxarri-Aranatz, Navarre) 2004-11
Alan Pérez (Zurucuain, Navarre) 2006-11
Jon Bru (Vera de Bidasoa, Navarre) 2007-8
Jorge Azanza (Alsasua, Navarre) 2007-11
Juan José Oroz (Berrioplano, Navarre) 2007-11
Javier Aramendia (Funes, Navarre) 2008-11
Mikel Nieve (Leitza, Navarre) 2009-11
Pablo Urtasun (Urdiain, Navarre) 2009-11
Daniel Sesma (Pamplona, Navarre) 2010-11
Romain Sicard (Bayonne, Lapurdi) 2010-11
Pierre Cazaux (Saint-Palais, Baja Navarre) 2011

How many of them would I say aren't Basques? Beyond Sánchez, probably none?

 

[craig1985]

Cuesta, no?

 

[asdfgh101]

Álava? I think you mean Araba.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Álava? I think you mean Araba.

Terminology mistake. I named the rest of them in their Basque names but that one in its Spanish name. No specific reasoning behind it, just being an idiot. Inconsistency ftw.

 

[uphillstruggle]

It sounds like EE have a fairly large catchment area as it were. It's the lack of big money to sign or retain the riders that are 'eligible' that's the problem.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

There was an article in Pro Cycling Magazine a few months back and they interviewed a few people (journalists IIRC) and the collective view that there is no chance in hell that EE will ever fold as it will bevery bad PR for politicians. I'll try and find the article as that is all that I can remember.

Interestingly enough Juan Manuel Gárate (who is from Irun) was offered the chance to ride for EE and he refused and is actually opposed to the whole concept of hiring Basques-only.

like terpstra, i remember after milram he was asked if he'd go to rabobank and he pretty said why should he? because their dutch? no way. something like that.

 

[Aguirre]

the politics of EE are as follow:

riders born in basque country, that's it Bizkaia, Araba, Gipuzkoa (what is called CAV or administrative Basque Country) + Navarra (which is BC for many and not for others) + French BC regions

+ riders who not being born in BC they have been involved in amateur teams in BC, specially in the linked teams to EE: Samuel Sanchez, and now Victor Cabedo

+Iñigo Cuesta, a bit same that the others, Iñigo was raised as a cyclist in BC

and as for Unai Etxebarria, he was born in Venezuela due their parents (both fully basques) were there for work reasons. Then he grow up in Durango, near Urkiola, he is fully basque, speaks language, culture, etc

 

[Libertine Seguros]

+ riders who not being born in BC they have been involved in amateur teams in BC, specially in the linked teams to EE: Samuel Sanchez, and now Victor Cabedo

I think they limit the signing of non-Basques to those from Fundación Euskadi-linked teams (presently that consists of Naturgas Energía as the main one, with the satellite teams of Bidelan-Kirolgi and Debabarrena in Gipuzkoa and Koplad-Uni2 in Bizkaia. They'll happily take riders from non-aligned teams like Cafés Baqué and Seguros Bilbao, but I think they'd more than likely limit those riders to Basques. I don't think they've taken any non-Basques from other teams' feeders such as Lizarte (Movistar's main feeder team) in a while (though they did get Joseba Beloki from them!) or the old Iberdrola-Loinaz (ONCE/Liberty Seguros feeder) team, otherwise you'd see Euskaltel have no qualms about picking up people like Contador, Joaquím Rodríguez or Xavier Florencio, but those aren't riders Euskaltel have shown any interest in pursuing.

So yea, I think they limit themselves in that respect to Basques in any amateur team, aligned or non-aligned (though the Basque-Navarrese is probably the biggest amateur scene in the country), and non-Basques only in Fundación Euskadi-aligned amateur teams.

 

[luckyboy]

http://www.diariovasco.com/v/20111103/deportes/ciclismo/fundacion-euskadi-busca-millon-20111103.html

I'm in no mood to dissect this but its probably relevant

 

[Angliru]

http://www.diariovasco.com/v/20111103/deportes/ciclismo/fundacion-euskadi-busca-millon-20111103.html

I'm in no mood to dissect this but its probably relevant

I see what looks like the word "million" in the headline so that has to be a good thing (I hope!).

 

[Duartista]

I see what looks like the word "million" in the headline so that has to be a good thing (I hope!).

It says that they are looking for a million euros to be able to continue beyond 2012.

 

[Angliru]

It says that they are looking for a million euros to be able to continue beyond 2012.

I was hoping that it said they had "acquired a million" from somewhere. So it's not really telling us anything that we hadn't heard already?

 

[Cobblestoned]

Why do you guys worry ?

It's going like that since the team started to exists. And it will always exist for sure. And it will always go on like this.

 

[Duartista]

I was hoping that it said they had "acquired a million" from somewhere. So it's not really telling us anything that we hadn't heard already?

Not really, no. Just that they have been looking for extra funding for three years and are having real trouble finding it.