Team Caja Rural will be at the start of the Vuelta a Andalucia for the sixth consecutive year after they previously had participated as a Continental team in 1988 and 1989. Last year they obtained 16 wins and want to improve on both the number and the quality of wins in 2016.
For the 62nd Ruta del Sol, Director Eugenio Goikoetxea will lead a team of David Arroyo, Pello Bilbao, Lluís Mas, José Gonçalves, Sergio Pardilla, Ángel Madrazo and Javier Aramendia.
David Arroyo who just turned 36, will be in his sixteenth season as a professional. He turned pro after having been Spanish U23 champion in 2000 and has spent 8 years at Movistar. This will be his fourth season at Caja Rural. He has five wins, a stage win in the Vuelta , two stages in the Tour of Portugal, Subida a Urkiola and stage at the Tour du Limousin. Last year he was second in a stage of the Giro del Trentino. He has participated in six editions of the Tour de France, four Giri d'Italia and five Vueltas. It will be his ninth participation in Andalusia.
Pello Bilbao is going into his third year at Caja Rural Team after spending three seasons at Euskaltel. He has a good palmares from his time as an amateur but had to wait until 2014 to get onto a podium as a professional. It was at the Klasika Primavera which is always one of his main goals.. It will be his third appearance in Andalusia. He competed in 2011 and finished sixth in the stage that ended in Jaen and was won by Ventoso and last year he won the mountains jersey ahead of Froome and Contador.
Lluís Mas is a 25-year-old rider whoo will be in his third season at Caja Rural after joining from Burgos Monumental. Last season he took his first and only professional victory by winning a stage of the Tour of Turkey, with start and finish in Istanbul. As an amateur he got a memorable victory in the Saunier Duval jersey at the Clasica Vina Todonia, held in the town of Haro Rioja. In his first and only appearance in Andalusia, he won the sprint jersey.
Jose Goncalves is a 26-year-old Portuguese who is ready for his second season at the Caja Rural Team after arriving from La Pomme Marseille in 2013 with whom he won the La Poly Normande. In 2012, he won the Portuguese TT title. Last year he obtained a stage victory in the Tour of Portugal, was second in two stages of the Portuguese race and one at the Vuelta where he also obtained a third place. It will be his first appearance in Andalusia.
Sergio Pardilla has just turned 32 years old. He will compete with Caja Rural for the second consecutive year after having spent two seasons at MTN-QHUBEKA. He previously rode for Team Movistar, Carmiooro, Burgos and Viña Magna. He has obtained stage wins in the Circuito Montanes, Tour de l'Avenir, Vuelta de los Pirineos and Vuelta a La Rioja and overall wins in the Tour of Japan and the Vuelta a la Comunidad Madrid. It will be his fifth appearance in the Ruta del Sol where he got a stage win in Jaen in 2010, beating Van Den Broeck and Damiano Cunego. He was also third overall and won the combination classfication while riding for Carmiooro. He has a total of 12 individual victories and is returning to competition after a bad crash in 2015.
Ángel Madrazo is a 27-year-old Cantabrian rider who goes into his third season with the team where he arrived from the Movistar Team after five seasons. In 2008 he won a stage of the Circuito Montañés with the Saunier Duval U23 team in 2008e . Last year he got his first win as a professional, winning the Klasika Ordizia. It will be their second consecutive appearance in Andalusia.
Javier Aramendia has just turned 30 and is still searching for his first pro win. His best victory as an amateur with Caja Rural was in a stage of the Tour of Bizkaia. It will be his tenth season as a professional, having spent four years at Euskaltel Euskadi. This will be his fifth year at Caja Rural. He has participated in the Giro d'Italia and three Vueltas a Espana. Fans remember him for being the rider who was present in most breaks in the 2013 Vuelta where he won the combativity prize. It will be his fourth participation in Andalucia.
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