Nieve and Antón in demand after Euskaltel's future put in doubt
Team Sky, Garmin-Sharp, Astana and Omega said to be interested in the Basque duo
While Euskaltel-Euskadi desperately continue to search for a new sponsor to take over their commitment to the Basque team they have backed for almost two decades, interest is growing in the squad’s most high-profile riders.
According to Spanish website Biciciclismo, Mikel Nieve and Igor Antón are almost certain to remain in the UCI WorldTour next season, with Astana, Garmin-Sharp, Omega Pharma-Quick Step and Team Sky among those interested in the two climbers.
Both riders have had decent seasons and were prominent at the Tour, particularly 29-year-old Nieve, who finished 12th overall and third behind Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana at the summit of Mont Ventoux. More recently, he was fourth in the San Sebastian Classic. Antón, 30, finished 23rd at the Tour.
Antón, winner of four mountain stages at the Vuelta and on Monte Zoncolan in the 2011 Giro, also offers options in this area, as well as in the Ardennes Classics, where he has been a regular contender.
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Peter Cossins has written about professional cycling since 1993 and is a contributing editor to Procycling. He is the author of The Monuments: The Grit and the Glory of Cycling's Greatest One-Day Races (Bloomsbury, March 2014) and has translated Christophe Bassons' autobiography, A Clean Break (Bloomsbury, July 2014).