“We have taken out a 10 in presence in the breaks, but our objective is a victory in this Vuelta and I think there may still be several opportunities for escapes “, analyzes for AS Xabier Muriel, director of the Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, on the role that this combative team is having in the Spanish round. For the Navarrese team, this is the tenth consecutive participation as a guest, a special edition in which they try to repeat the great achievement achieved the year of their debut, the victory of Antonio Piedra in Lagos in 2012.
However, there is another more recent data that you can wear with great pride. Since their founding in 2010 they have always promoted a rider from their formation, now Pro Team (second division), to the powerful structures of the elite of world cycling, the World Tour. Names like Michal Kwiatkowski, Luis León Sánchez, Omar Fraile, Pello Bilbao, Hugh Carthy, Alex Aranburu, Gonzalo Serrano … are some of a long list that in 2022 will complete Jon Aberasturi, who at age 32 goes to the Trek. “It’s a joy, but it’s always a bit sad because you want to continue enjoying these great cyclists in your team. It happens like in football, if someone of a higher category calls you …”, explains Muriel. Aberasturi himself highlights the work of the structure: “For me, reaching the top category is a reward for all the effort and sacrifice made, I spent a year without a team, I went to Japan … and in that way the Caja Rural helped me to find my place, give me the opportunity to win victories in Europe and measure myself with the best in appointments like this Vuelta “.
In fact, it ensures that a victory would be the best farewell to a formation that also sees its results in the amateur field, from where it promotes riders such as the promising Oier Lazkano, at 21 years old also present in this Vuelta. Its great event of the year, also on a social level, in which it carries out initiatives such as the one featured in this edition, called La Vuelta en Verde due to its sustainable nature. A good cause that complements being one of the great cycling nurseries of the world peloton.
