The Bertako cyclocross team presented its roster for the fourth season this Wednesday at the Salburua civic center in Álava, drawing a crowd worthy of the biggest cycling events on the calendar, El Correo reported. Founded by five-time Spanish champion Javier Ruiz de Larrinaga, who also serves as the national selector, the team gathered riders and guests in the auditorium to mark the start of its latest campaign.
The event drew prominent names from Spanish cycling, including Markel Beloki, who recently signed with INEOS; Ibon Ruiz, newly signed by Bahrain Victorious; and Kevin Suárez, a six-time Spanish cyclocross runner-up. Juan Mari Guajardo, the announcer for the Vuelta a España, acted as master of ceremonies as the team’s leading riders took the stage: Aitor Kintana, Naiara Sáez de Jauregi, Ibai Sasigain, Mirari Gotxi, Arkaitz Suso and Beñat Fernández de la Peña.
Some riders faced their first season with the team with visible nerves, while others like Sasigain and Suso already knew well what it meant to wear the CX Bertako colors. “From a very young age they gave me a bicycle, and when I started watching my brother compete, I got hooked,” said cadet category rider Ander Kintana.
Mirari Gotxi Set for European Championships in Zeddam
One rider who stood out on stage was Mirari Gotxi. The Amurrio rider will head to the European Cyclocross Championships this weekend in Zeddam, Netherlands, as one of the Spanish national team’s leading hopes. “As an Alavesa, I am very proud to ride for this team; it could become one of the most important in the Basque Country,” she said.
Ruiz de Larrinaga will travel to the Netherlands on Thursday but did not want to miss such a marked date on his calendar. He founded the team and stressed “the opportunity for kids to have the necessary means” to practice cyclocross and “see how far they can go.”
A Discipline Growing Across Spain
The presentation highlights how cyclocross participation in Spain has surged exponentially over the past decade, fueled by the influence of stars like Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert. Fifteen years ago, the start lines of the Spanish Cyclocross Championship were filled by only a few dozen enthusiasts who loved riding through mud and carrying their bikes up stairs. Today, more young riders are discovering the discipline, particularly in Álava, where the sport has deep tradition thanks to figures like Ruiz de Larrinaga.
Xabier Artetxe, physical trainer for Red Bull-Bora, also addressed the topic. “We have to get our young talents to compete in cyclocross and not go crazy trying to have international-level races,” he said.
That talent is being nurtured through projects like Bertako, but also by having references such as Euskaltel-Euskadi rider Felipe Orts. “He is a reference for all the kids racing cyclocross because he has had a brutal progression and right now he is among the best riders in the world,” said Bertako rider Beñat Fernández de la Peña.
The team now turns its attention to Zeddam, where Gotxi will represent Spain at the European Championships this weekend.
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