Two days of pre-season meetings in Spain were deemed a success by Team Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, which aims to better its team-record win total and compete again in the Vuelta a España in 2016.

The team's 20 riders, plus staff and managers, gathered in Tudela, Navarra, Spain last week to plan and prepare for the upcoming season. The Spanish pro continental squad is coming off a year that saw it win a team-record 17 races and the "king of the mountains" classification at the Vuelta.

"These meetings were very important for the team," said Sport Director Eugenio Goikoetxea. "It was a nice opportunity to greet the new riders and introduce them into our family. We also had meetings with our sponsors to go in the same direction and develop the team and reach our goals. The 2015 season was an excellent one, so exceeding our win total in 2016 will be very difficult. Our principal goal is to ensure participation in the Vuelta a España. Getting there starts by working together day-by-day."

Riders spent Thursday and Friday getting acquainted with their new Fuji bikes featuring ROTOR cranks. Sponsor representatives provided riders with detailed explanations about the oval cranks and power meter systems and ways to improve their training. Helmets and sunglasses from Spiuk and clothing from ALÉ were also fitted.

"This was a nice opportunity for the riders to learn how to prepare for the season, like properly training and manage their nutrition," Goikoetxea said. "This was the starting point of how things work with us - knowing about our sponsors, Caja Rural and Seguros RGA, and the values, philosophy and methods of working as a team.

Alberto Gallego, a promising Spanish climber, said he and the four other riders new to the team quickly bonded with the returning ones. Gallego, 24, was third overall at Vuelta Ciclista Comunidad de Madrid and the GP Internacional Torres Vedras and seventh at the Route de Sud.

"This first meeting was very productive to learn about the team and we all related well," Gallego said. "We are looking forward to being teammates and working together in the best way. The expectations I have for myself are to be ready for the team when they ask me to do something and to take advantage of my climbing strength and perform well in the mountain stages."

Great Britain's Hugh Carthy, who just completed his first season with Caja-Rural after winning the Tour de Korea in 2014, said team meetings before the start of the new season are important.

"It is a great opportunity to bond with the new riders on the team and meet our sponsors and test new products during the winter before the season begins," said the 21-year-old climber. "This year the meetings were successful and enjoyed by everyone and we all hope to have a successful 2016 season."

Sprinter Carlos Barbero is one of Caja Rural's top returners, having won a team-high five times in 2015. The 24-year-old was also runner-up at the Spanish national road championships for one of his 21 top 10 results. Other top riders back include Pello Bilbao (overall champion of the Tour de Beauce), all-arounder José Gonçalves (stage winner at the Volta a Portugal) and Lluís Mas (stage winner at the Tour of Turkey).

Since 2010, Caja Rural has won 44 races in 10 different countries with 20 different riders. That total includes 28 stage wins, seven in one-day races, six overall titles and three national championships.

2016 Rider Roster:
Javier Aramendia (ESP), David Arroyo (ESP), Carlos Barbero (ESP), Miguel Angel Benito (ESP), Pello Bilbao (ESP), Hugh Carthy (GBR), Fabricio Ferrari (URG), Alberto Gallego* (ESP), Domingo Gonçalves* (POR), José Gonçalves (POR), Jonathan Lastra* (ESP), Angel Madrazo (ESP), Lluís Mas (ESP), Antonio Molina (ESP), Sergio Pardilla (ESP), Eduard Prades (ESP), Jaime Roson* (ESP), Diego Rubio* (ESP), Hector Saez (ESP), Ricardo Vilela (POR).

*Indicates a rider new for 2016.