The Spanish pro continental Caja Rural team has finalized its roster for the 2014 season, with 18 riders set to make up the team. Having failed to secure additional funding, the team has decided not to sign any additional riders, thus closing the door for Luis Leon Sanchez an Pablo Urtasun who had both been linked with the Spanish squad.

The Spanish Caja Rural team has been in the transfer spotlight in recent days as both Luis Leon Sanchez and Pablo Urtasun have been linked with the squad but the team has now taken the decision to finalize its roster. Hence, there will be no room for the two Spanish riders who will have to find another team to continue their careers.

Urtasun was left on the market after the demise of the Euskaltel team and recently told Biciciclismo that he was waiting for Caja Rural to find out whether they will have an increased budget or do the Giro d'Italia in 2014. More money and a loaded race calendar would allow the team to hire additional riders, with Urtasun being the first priority. As the budget will not be increased and the team still has plenty of uncertainty regarding its race schedule, the team has decided not to sign any additional riders.

Sanchez was rumoured to be very close to signing a contract with the team but manager Juanma Hernandez recently revealed that he was unable to match the wage demands of the former  Paris-Nice winner. With the doors to Caja Rural now being closed, Sanchez faces a difficult task of finding a new team in time for the 2014 season.

The team has recruited three WorldTour riders for the coming season as Angel Madrazo (Movistar), Pello Bilbao (Euskaltel) and Davide Vigano (Lampre-Merida) will join the team. Heiner Parra (4-72 Colombia) and Lluis Mas (Burgos) will step up from the continental level while Fernando Grijalba and Antonio Molina will turn professional with the Spanish squad.

7 riders will leave the team. Andre Cardoso has signed a contract with Garmin-Sharp while the futures of Manuel Cardoso, Yelko Gomez, Francisco Moreno, Enzo Moyano and Danail Petrov is uncertain. Ivan Velasco had a bad crash in the Vuelta a Espana and it is still uncertain whether he will return to the professional peloton. The team may open a spot for him if he makes a full recovery.

Amets Txurrukas David Arroyo, Francesco Lasca, Javier Aramendía, Antonio Piedra, Fabrizio Ferrari, Karol Domagalski, Omar Fraile, Marcos Garcia, Ruben Fernandez and Ramon Domene will stay with the team in 2014.

The team is still hopeful that it will receive an invitation to the Giro d'Italia. As the only Spanish professional continental team, its participation in the Vuelta a Espana appears to be almost guaranteed.