A few weeks ago, Caja Rural announced that they have signed Eduard Prades. The 2014 season was a difficult one for the talented Spaniard but it ended in the best possible way, with the Spaniard being given the chance to deomstrate his potential at the professional level.

"I must be grateful to the Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, so I approach this new phase with great enthusiasm and desire. I have a feeling it will be a good year for the team. They have built a balanced roster and by working well, we will be allowed to do the best races," said Prades who has just arrived in Spain after his final races with his Japanese team PowerTag Matrix.

Prades is very happy to again be racing in his home country and a team like Caja Rural-Seguros RGA will be the perfect place for him to reach his best level. He hopes that 2015 will be the year when his name will become known in the mainstream media. He is even more motivated by the fact that he will be doing many races in Spain.

"Although there is a big schedule of foreign races, I will ride a lot more to Spain where I know the races a lot more, both the public and the rider and that always helps. Furthermore, you have the feeling of having everything at hand and it is easier to communicate."

Prades joined the Japanese Matrix PowerTag in August after leaving his previous team, the Portuguese OFM-Quinta da Lixa. In Japan he was joined by two Spaniards, his brother Benjamin Prades and Airan Fernandez. 

"I think I made a very good performance but after the season I feared that I had done too much. But the good atmosphere in the team and the support from teammates like Benja and Airan led to good results and more motivation. The proof of this is that the three Spaniards have won several races and taken numerous podiums and I was in the top 10 in both 2.2 races I did," Prades said.

The move to Japan was a big step due to the cultural change that comes from living so far from the home country with a tradition that is very different from the European one. However, Prades was impressed by the Japanese culture.

"Above all they have a lot respect, both for age and job. They are very aware of the hierarchy. In all aspects, they are very nice and attentive. It had a picture of a serious country, with little humor, but although they work hard, they are funny too. Another thing that surprised me were the many public baths. All hotels had pools and showers, and some also had cold pools and sauna.

"Contrary to what I thought, the races are very good and the conditions are similar to those found in Europe but the UCI races are usually limited to 5 riders, so the racing is crazy with very little control. Furthermore, Japan has the ProTour Japan where both amateurs and professionals may participate. These races are usually held on circuits and pretty short. They are known as criteriums while road races are longer. They also have Hill Climbs. The good thing about these races is that it gives the chance for amateurs to be picked up by continental teams. Furthermore, there are races at all levels," he says.