Euskaltel Looks Beyond Basque Riders

Team in hunt for UCI points

Published February 22, 2012 12:00AM

On Monday, cycling team Euskaltel-Euskadi admitted that it will likely have to break with tradition and sign non-Basque riders in a quest to remain in the ProTour. Team manager Miguel Madariaga said the UCI points system and reduced contributions from the Basque government necessitated strategic changes. “We might have to sign [non-Basque riders]. It seems like those outside like us more than those inside the Basque Country. We need to have at least 9 million euros if we hope to aspire to be a competitive team,” he said. The unofficial Basque national team has competed in eight Tours de France and won four stages, most recently in 2011.