MADRID, 17 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish cyclist Ane Santesteban has signed for the next three seasons by the Spanish team Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi, at the UCI Women’s Continental level, which with this addition seeks to improve on the international scene and achieve promotion in category, in order to compete in the best calendar races.
“I really wanted to go home. After chasing dreams abroad, I wanted to compete at home and now the opportunity has presented itself with Laboral Kutxa to grow together. The goal is to continue growing and improving together, both as cyclists and as people And what better place than here,” Santesteban herself declared on Thursday.
The one from Errenteria joins her new team from Jayco AlUla, in which she has played three seasons. She has an outstanding record, with five ‘top 10’ in grand tours, including a 7th place in the 2017 Giro d’Italia, an 8th in the 2023 Tour de France and a 6th in the 2022 Tour of Spain, in addition to having been champion of Spain in 2013 and runner-up on three other occasions.
For Aitor Galdós, general manager of Laboral Kutxa, this signing means having the “main benchmark” of Basque cycling and one of the “most outstanding” riders in the international peloton. “Ane is going to give us visibility and guarantees that we did not have until now, not only to compete in races at the highest level, but also to give meaning to all the work that we have been developing,” he explained.
Ion Lazkano, the team’s sports manager, said that hiring Santesteban will be “a before and after”, providing “comprehensive leadership”. “She is a world reference runner and I firmly believe that her incorporation will increase the level of the group and infect the rest of the runners for their growth. The signing consolidates this project and the future of the team even more if possible”, concluded Lazkano.