The Spanish professional continental team Caja Rural-Seguros RGA announced on Christmas morning the signing of Luis Leon Sanchez, after months of rumors connecting the team and rider.
Sanchez spent much of the 2013 season on the sidelines, riding for Belkin Pro Cycling. The team pulled him from competition in February but reinstated him in May, but the Spaniard’s race days were limited from what they’ve been in the past.
Belkin then bought Sanchez out of his contract in October, preferring to eat the salary and dump the rider with suspicion surrounding his name. He was linked to Dr. Michele Ferrari in a 2012 report, and he was also mentioned in the Operacion Galgo investigation in Spain, involving Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes.
The Belkin team, then called Blanco, announced in May that it could not find conclusive evidence that Sanchez had involvement with Fuentes, which resulted in his reinstatement with the team.
Sanchez goes from seemingly an unwanted rider to the biggest ever signing for Caja Rural-Seguros RGA. The team, which gets a yearly start in the Vuelta a España, initially said it didn’t have the funds to sign Sanchez. But a one-year deal has been signed after the team sought and received more capital from some of its sponsors.
Biciclismo reports that Sanchez would begin his season with the team on January 13, at La Tropicale Amissa Bongo in Gabon. This will depend on whether the UCI can process the contract during the holidays.
In a team statement on the Caja Rural-Seguros RGA website, the announcement of the Sanchez contract brings the team up to 19 riders. But Biciclismo also reports that the team will bring back former Euskaltel-Euskadi rider Ivan Velasco for his second year with the squad. All will be confirmed on December 30 in Pamplona, when the team is presented to the public.
Caja Rural-Seguros RGA for 2014 [tentative]:
Luis Leon Sanchez, Amets Txurruka, David Arroyo, Francesco Lasca, Javier Aramendía, Antonio Piedra, Marcos Garcia, Omar Fraile, Rubén Fernández, Ramón Domene, Fabrizio Ferrari, Karol Domagalski, Pello Bilbao, Ángel Madrazo, Davide Vigano, Heiner Parra, Fernando Grijalva, Antonio Molina