Euskaltel and the Euskadi Foundation have closed a cooperative agreement with which they intend to repeat the triumphs of the Basque squad in elite world cycling. The Basque telecommunications group joins the project as the main sponsor and will lend its name to the professional team in this new era.

Cyclist and Euskadi Foundation President Mikel Landa expressed his satisfaction with this “historic” agreement, which is formed “to ensure the squad’s permanent viability.”

“The goal,” according to Landa, “is to move forward on the growth track, and the support of Euskaltel will represent a tremendous boost.”The cyclist from Álava is excited about this new step forward. “We want to return the team to where it needs to be. Cooperation with Euskaltel, as well as the step up to the UCI ProTeam category, are moves in that direction.”

Xabier Iturbe, president of Euskaltel, stresses in turn that “the relationship of Euskaltel with cycling and the Euskadi Foundation has been a success story. We want to repeat this great partnership and build the excitement once again that it generated in all the fans. We share this feeling and values. This team is something unique; it represents an entire country, and we want to form part of it once more.”Iturbe is convinced that this cooperation will help strengthen the great Basque cycling project, and stresses that “we have a lot of confidence in the new project led by Mikel Landa, because he’s doing a great job.”

The first race under this new sponsorship will take place at the upcoming Itzulia (Tour of the Basque Country), which will be held April 6-11.