Starting this weekend, Caja Rural - Seguros RGA take on some of the most important races for the team this season. Being based in the Basque Country, the team is highly motivated to do well in the two one-day races Gran Premio Miguel Indurain (Saturday, April 2nd) and Vuelta a La Rioja (Sunday, April 3rd) on home soil. The same goes for Vuelta al País Vasco, which starts on the following Monday.
 
The Spanish World Tour stage race consists of six extremely undulating stages, taking place from the 4th to the 9th of April. The terrain is made for aggressive and opportunistic racing, which will suit the Caja Rural - Seguros RGA riders very well. The queen stage comes on the penultimate day with the classic finish in Arrate (Eibar). The 5.4 km towards the top of the Usartzako climb have an average gradient of 8.2 % and will have an important impact on the final outcome of the race. However, nothing is certain until the last rider crosses the finishing line on the short, but very hilly and technical time trial on stage 6.
 
After the great performances in Volta a Catalunya, Caja Rural - Seguros RGA aim to continue on the same path as they take on the big World Tour teams on home soil in the Basque Country.
 
Team manager, Juan Manuel Hernández said: “These three races are some of the most important ones for the team as we ride on home soil in front of our fans and our main sponsor Caja Rural. Vuelta al País Vasco is a very hard race. We are one of only two Pro-Continental teams invited to take part in this World Tour stage race. We will stay true to our way of racing, fighting on every stage and hoping to do as well as possible with riders like José Gonçalves. At the same time, we will also give young riders like Jonathan Lastra (making his World Tour debut) and Miguel Ángel Benito a chance to shine and grow just like we did with Hugh Carthy and Antonio Molina in Volta a Catalunya”.
 
The team lines up with the following riders in the three Basque races:
 
Gran Premio Miguel Indurain: David Arroyo, Sergio Pardilla, Fabricio Ferrari, Hugh Carthy, Miguel Ángel Benito, José Gonçalves, Pello Bilbao and Ángel Madrazo.
 
Vuelta a La Rioja: Carlos Barbero, David Arroyo, Sergio Pardilla, Diego Rubio, Héctor Sáez, Antonio Molina, Lluis Mas and Hugh Carthy.
 
Vuelta al País Vasco: Pello Bilbao, Ángel Madrazo, José Gonçalves, Domingos Gonçalves, Miguel Ángel Benito, Jonathan Lastra, Fabricio Ferrari and Eduard Prades.
 
Aditionally, both Jon Irisarri and Josu Zabala - from the U23 team - will take part in Gran Premio Miguel Indurain and Vuelta a La Rioja wearing the colors of the Spanish national team.