Fuerteventura-Canarias struggling to find budget

Spanish cycling could be dealt a blow, with the management squad behind Fuerteventura-Canarias failing to gather the necessary budget to run the Professional Continental squad in 2008. While the squad's management company, Cyclingcomtat, is continuing the search for funding, the outlook for next season is bleak confirmed its director Óscar Guerrero.

"At the moment we have no news that says a different thing," explained Guerrero. "It would be a pity to end a great effort here."

The Spanish squad debuted last January and has achieved some good results, such as the seven stage victories in different races gained by young promising riders Oleg Chuzda (one) and Manuel Lloret (two) as well as those claimed by veteran riders Adrián Palomares (two) and Rodrigo García (two). Despite its success, Fuerteventura-Canarias wasn't offered a 'wild-card' entry into its home Grand Tour – the Vuelta a España – this season.

Guerrero didn't seem convinced that the squad would be able to continue as a Continental outfit if it couldn't find the funding to operate as the higher ranked Professional Continental squad. "I don't know about that, but this squad was created to be Pro-Continental, so I do not think that it will be the best solution at the moment," he explained. AJS