Euskaltel-Euskadi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Euskaltel-Euskadi | ||
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| Team information | ||
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| UCI code | EUS | |
| Based |  Spain |
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| Founded | 1994 | |
| Discipline(s) | Road | |
| Status | ProTour | |
| Key personnel | ||
| General manager | Miguel Madariga | |
| Previous team name(s) | ||
| 2005- ProTour 2001-2004 Div. I 1998-2000 1994-1997 |
Euskaltel-Euskadi (EUS) Euskaltel-Euskadi (EUS) Euskaltel-Euskadi Equipo Euskadi |
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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. E-E is famous for its all-orange team kits, 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 hill climb 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 five Tours de France with two stage wins. In 2006 the sporting director Julian Gorospe was replaced by Igor González de Galdeano, who became technical secretary, and the team budget is $7.8 million.
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[edit] Major achievements
[edit] 2006
- 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
- Trofeo Calvia - Unai Etxebarria
- Vuelta al País Vasco, Mountains classification - Aitor Hernandez
- Tour de Romandie, Stage 4 - Igor Antón
[edit] 2008 ProTeam
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[edit] Team equipment
- Bike: Orbea
- Components: Shimano
- Wheels: Shimano
- Apparel: Etxe-Ondo
- Saddles: Selle Italia
- Helmets: Catlike
[edit] References
- ^ Euskaltel - Euskadi (EUS) - ESP Riders. uciprotour.com. UCI. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
- ^ Euskaltel - Euskadi. Cyclingnews Teams Database 2008. Cyclingnews. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
[edit] External links
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