The decision of the organizers of the Vuelta de España to exclude from the 4 wild cards two historic home teams such as Euskaltel e Kern Pharma It caused a sensation beyond the Pyrenees. We are talking about two pillars of Iberian cycling, with profound social significance, especially in the first case. If we consider the almost frantic wait that there was in Italy for RCS's choices regarding the Giro, with the two professional teams returning thanks to the expansion of the jerseys decided by the UCI, it is easy to understand why the choice of the Spanish organizers was not easily digested.
At Kern Pharma, it was initially a blow, but then they decided to move forward regardless. They were not hesitant to address the issue. We are talking about a team that has been active since 2020 and that had already acquired the professional license the following year. and who won two stages at the 2024 Vuelta with Pablo Castrillo. Its general manager is Juan José Oroz, 44 years old with a long professional career that spanned historic teams such as Caja Rural, Orbea and Euskaltel-Euskadi and ended in 2014.
How do you rate your team's start to the season?
Very good, we started right away with the victory of Urko Berrade in Morvedre and then the stage conquered at Tour of Andalusia with Diego Uriarte, who grew up in our youth academy. We continue to work with young talent and continue to achieve positive results, and that's fantastic.
How much does being excluded from the Vuelta weigh on your team, and what do you think?
At first, when we heard the news, it was clear that we would have to take the blow, the disappointmentIt was the big goal of our season and suddenly it had vanished. But from then on we decided to exploit the incident to bring out new prideBe even better. This is the direction cycling is going, and all we can do is adapt. We can emerge stronger.
Has the decision of the Vuelta a España had repercussions on other Iberian races? Have there been fewer invitations?
No, I don't think so. I think it's the only thing that's been maintained and that's given us strength. The situation in cycling is difficult and constantly evolving, and what's become clear to us is that we want to aim higher. The reasoning is simple: if we get stronger, we won't have to sit around waiting for an invitation. And the strategy we need to adopt is to improve as a team. Sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves isn't part of our strategy. We're proud of the outpouring of affection we've received since learning the news. And I think this is the way to make our commitment even more interesting, to climb the rankings and continue to produce very talented cyclists. But above all, to continue to be close to the public, to inspire.
It seems that the blow has been absorbed, even at the corporate level...
Yes, in fact I think a very important thing to say is that Kern Pharma wants us to improve ourselves so that the races show how strong we are. Ours is a very interesting team that wants to encourage the public to appreciate cycling more and more and inspire society..
In your opinion, are professional teams like yours sufficiently protected by the UCI and the Spanish federation?
I believe we are the pulsating part of cycling. I think this should be a mission for all teams, to try to improve cycling as a whole, not just themselves. I believe we deserve recognition for what we do, for the contribution we make to the growth of Iberian cycling, for our commitment to young people. Therefore, I am very clear that whatever we achieve, we will achieve it because we deserve it. Not because someone gives us something.
Your team has fewer foreign players than other professional teams. Is that your choice?
It's always been our philosophy. We are the team with the highest number of trained riders in its youth sector in the worldIt's something we're very proud of. I must also say that we're not closed to foreigners, quite the opposite. The fact is that here cyclists are given more than one chance, and that means many cyclists from the youth sectors come through.
More than one possibility?
Maybe the first year they don't go that fast, the second year not even that fast, but we insist and so they end up being excellent cyclistsWe are patient. We certainly need to support cycling in our country too, but we are not at all closed to foreigners. In fact, this year we told Soda to come to us and there is Mats Wenzel, a Luxembourger and we are very happy about it.
Speaking of which, this year saw the arrival of Colombian Juan Ramiro Sosa, who has a solid pedigree. Is he the leader of your team?
Here the leader "is" the team. I mean, look, last year we had Pablo Castrillo, who was a great rider at the Vuelta, where he won two stages, but he did it thanks to his team. Uriarte did the same in Andalusia, in a WorldTour race. I am confident in the team, because what is best for the team is best for the individual.
What are your goals for this year now?
We would like stay in the top 30 of the rankingIt's absolutely not easy, especially without being able to participate in a major tour, we know that. And then we have to continue to grow as a team, to be prepared for the future. We know that with this state of affairs, we have to work hard to grow even further.
