The end of the Euskies?

The orange jerseys may be no more in 2012.
(image credit: Fanny Schertzer CC BY-SA 3.0)

The orange jerseys have been a feature of top races for years and the riders who wear them are among the most popular in cycling with a loyal following in both their Basque homeland and abroad - but there's a possibility that Euskaltel-Euskadi might not be with us in 2012.

Speaking to the Spanish newspaper Marca, team captain Samuel Sanchez said that the squad has been experiencing difficulties in securing a replacement backer: "If things continue this way, Euskaltel will vanish in 2012," he explained, adding that his squad's current sponsorship runs out at the end of this year before expressing his hopes that the current sponsor would extend the contract or a new one would be found.