Fundacion Euskadi
History of the Basque Cycling Foundation
The Basque Cycling Foundation was born from the passion of a group of enthusiastic cyclists, with the ambition of promoting not just a sport, but a true way of life in the Basque Country. The cycling tradition and the consistent successes of Basque cyclists had become a cultural institution. It was therefore clear that the time had come to develop long-term plans to preserve one of the region's greatest assets.
In a spirit of solidarity, a social fund was created to support and protect the team and the riders, a way of thanking the athletes for their contribution to the region. Within this broader framework of supporting riders and promoting cycling, priority was given to creating a professional cycling team, composed of athletes from Álava, Biscay, Gipuzkoa, and Navarre, or trained in academies in these territories. The visibility gained by this team in international competitions has helped to increase the profile of Basque sport worldwide. It comprises a professional team, Euskaltel Euskadi, an amateur team, Fondation Euskadi, and a women's team, Laboral Kutxa.
President: Iñaki Isasi
Vice-president: Andoni Madariaga
Treasurer: Iosu Badiola
Directors: Paulino Barrenechea, Enrique Guzmán and Juan José Trullos.
Administration: fundacion@fundacioneuskadi.eus
Sports manager of Euskaltel-Euskadi: Jorge Azanza
Kutxa work sports manager: Aitor Galdos
Marketing and communications manager: Unai Iraragorri
Euskaltel-Euskadi
Euskaltel-Euskadi is an integral part of cycling history. From 1994 to 2013, the brand made its mark, both on and off the road. Beyond sporting successes on the biggest stages, the Orange Wave became a global phenomenon. A wave that celebrates a way of life and a passion for cycling. A wave that colors the road orange and adorns it with Basque flags. It represents us and gives an international dimension to the Euskaltel brand and the Basque Country. In this second phase, the brand returned to the Euskadi Foundation in 2020, and since then, the color orange has once again shone brightly at the highest level.
A commitment to the passion that unites us: cycling. A unique benchmark, founded on two fundamental pillars—the training center and the fans—to meet today's challenges with the same commitment, humility, and integrity, but with the ambition to achieve excellence through our resources. A team composed of Basques and a sponsor, Euskaltel, which thus wishes to demonstrate its commitment to and close ties with the entire Basque community and the surrounding region.
Laboral Kutxa
There is another way to approach cycling, and that's how every member of the LABORAL Kutxa-Euskadi team sees it. It's an identity embodied by sport, a benchmark both athletically and socially in the Basque Country. We represent our homeland, a place we no longer need to leave to thrive. Our home. Since its creation in 2019, the team has continued to grow. In 2024, it made its debut in the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia, and the Ardennes Classics—significant milestones that confirm its sporting success. Humility on the smaller chainrings. Tenacity on the larger ones.
A mirror reflecting the future. The challenge is to go further and become a leading international team, to promote the image of women, to give local cyclists the opportunity to realize their sporting dreams, and to showcase women's cycling worldwide. We are the tide that keeps rising, no matter how difficult the climb. Purple, long before it became a flag. The people. The cyclists. In that order.
Fundacion Euskadi
The Euskadi Fundazioa amateur team is reinforcing its philosophy as a breeding ground for Basque cycling talent, with the ambition of remaining a major force in the junior peloton and offering talented young cyclists from the region the opportunity to turn professional. This structure reflects the very essence of the project: to promote and support Basque talent through their sporting and personal development. The goal is to become a benchmark in the amateur peloton, embodying values such as hard work, team spirit, and commitment, with the ultimate ambition of realizing the dream of turning professional within Euskaltel-Euskadi.