Fernando Alonso Buys A Pro Cycling Team

jyl · jyl's Garage

Fernando Alonso will purchase the financially struggling Euskaltel-Euskadi cycling team.

The Euskaltel-Euskadi is one of 19 (?) World Tour pro cycling teams, that is the top level of professional road cycling - Tour de France, Gire d'Italia, Vuelta a Espana and all that. The team has a long and unusual history, having been set up as a Basque team with only Basque riders, and funded by the Basque telecoms company (Euskaltel) and a local government entity (Euskadi). With the deep recession in Spain, Euskadi had to drop out and Euskaltel was unable to fill the gap, so the team was set to dissolve at the end of this year.

Fernando Alonso apparently a cycling fan, a friend of Samuel Sanchez (top rider for Euskaltel-Euskadi) and of Spanish TdF champ Alberto Contador. He reportedly rides with them sometimes.

Details are scarce, for example who Alonso's partners and the other sponsors might be.

Is this unprecedented? An active F1 driver buying a sporting team? Does it suggest that Alonso's focus on the track may be dimming?

bell · bell's Garage

Alonso is a good guy, very wealthy, and am sure can appreciate the top level in any sport....
So kudos to him for helping his mates.......I think allot of us would so the same if given the opportunity....

Laneco · 09-03-2013, 06:30 AM

Always love watching the Euskaltel riders in the tour, in the mountains at least. They've always come across as such strong individuals on the big climbs. Never seems that they have a strong "team" finish though.

angela

look 171 · 09-03-2013, 08:46 AM

Over the years, most Spanish riders don't do too well in time trials, sprints, and those tough, cold, wet one day classics. I don't know why that is, but its been like that for a long time. They are right at home in the mt. passes putting the hurt on everyone. Well, then there's Oscar Freire.

I like the fighting spirit in the Euskadi men and the funny spelling in their names. Glad to see them keep up the fight with Alonso instead of the mega teams like Radio Shsack

jyl · jyl's Garage

Speak of putting the hurt on - viva Horner! I don't expect him to win but I'd like to see him on the podium of the Vuelta.

Laneco · 09-03-2013, 04:25 PM

Yeah - talk about a "throw down."

Solo breakaway uphill finish - opens up 43 seconds. Dang!

angela

dedbird · dedbird's Garage

Great to see him put in such a good ride. Truly impressive. I believe that the announcers said that he was the oldest to win a stage in a grand tour and the oldest to take the lead in a grand tour.

jyl · jyl's Garage

He's done that twice now. Stage 2 (? anyway, earlier this Vuelta) and then stage 10. On stage 10, he was 8 days older . . .

Zeke · 09-03-2013, 05:27 PM

I don't think this indicates a lack of focus on his racing at all.

look 171 · 09-03-2013, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyl

Speak of putting the hurt on - viva Horner! I don't expect him to win but I'd like to see him on the podium of the Vuelta.

Is that Chris Horner?

Hooray for our local boy. I remember seeing him riding our local races way back before he went to Europe the first time. He would break off with his long blond pony tail floating in the air as others chased him down. He's one of those character suite perfectly for European races. He's a "Take no siht" from anyone type of rider. good for him.

look 171 · 09-03-2013, 05:37 PM

I just read the rest of the post. Damn, 43 second against the Spanish mt. goats? Hats off to him. We talked about him a bit after hecome back home and fell out of love with pro racing in Europe. We were thinking he was washed up. Back then, there were not too many American pros riding continental races.