CAJA RURAL-SEGUROS RGA

Movistar is not the only historic Spanish cycling team based in Navarre. Not even in Pamplona! Caja Rural is set to return to the Tour de France peloton after a 37-year absence. Its first appearance came at the Grand Départ in Berlin in 1987, when its leader, Marino Lejarreta, went on to finish tenth overall. Nicknamed El Junco de Bérriz ("The Reed from Bérriz") because he often bent but never broke, the Basque rider earned a place in cycling history by contesting all three Grand Tours several years in succession at a time when they were all held within a four-month window, from April to July. Just a few weeks ago, he was the guest of honour at the unveiling of Caja Rural–Seguros RGA's special 2026 Tour de France jersey, a replica of the kit worn by the team four decades ago.

As early as the 1980s, Caja Rural became a home away from home for promising international riders, including the Frenchmen Pascal Jules and Roland Le Clerc. The strategy paid off. In 1989, racing under the name Paternina, the team celebrated its first Tour de France stage victory thanks to Dutch sprinter Mathieu Hermans. In 1992, it returned to its original mission, focusing once again on developing young riders through the amateur ranks. More than 150 cyclists have since turned professional through the team's programme. In 2005 and 2006, it re-entered the professional peloton in partnership with the Basque dairy company Kaiku. While continuing its development work, it returned to the Continental ranks in 2010, helping launch the careers of David de la Cruz and a teenage Michał Kwiatkowski, who would go on to become world champion and is still competing in the WorldTour in 2026.

The team returned to La Vuelta in 2012, when the race started in Pamplona, an edition remembered for a concert by the popular band La Oreja de Van Gogh. It also caught the eye in the opening team time trial with a striking red-and-white skinsuit inspired by the traditional colours of the San Fermín festival. The Andalusian Antonio Piedra capped the comeback by winning the queen stage to the Lagos de Covadonga after a marathon breakaway.

Un equipo para creer, un equipo para crecer — "A team you can believe in, a team you can grow with." Staying true to this philosophy, Caja Rural–Seguros RGA celebrated Rubén Fernández's overall victory in the 2013 Tour de l'Avenir, while Luis León Sánchez and Omar Fraile both claimed the king of the mountains jersey at La Vuelta. In recent years, the team has continued to serve as a springboard to the WorldTour for riders such as Pello Bilbao, Hugh Carthy, Lluís Mas, Jonathan Lastra, Alex Aranburu, Nick Schultz, Jefferson Cepeda, Oier Lazkano, Orluis Aular, Jon Barrenetxea and Thomas Silva.

The team finished the 2025 season 23rd in the UCI rankings. Heading into the Grand Départ in Barcelona, its roster features several Catalan riders who have animated recent editions of La Vuelta, including Abel Balderstone (13th overall in 2025), Joel Nicolau and Alex Molenaar, who races under the Dutch flag despite being from Olot in the province of Girona. The squad also boasts Australian climber Sebastian Berwick, winner of the 2026 Tour of Türkiye, and two exciting prospects: fellow Catalan Jan Castellón and Jaume Guardeño, whose season was interrupted by a serious crash at the end of March. In tribute, every rider in the team will wear the hashtag #ForçaJaume on their jersey.