Xacobeo four days from extinction

The Xacobeo-Galicia team have revealed that they need to find a new backer before this coming Friday in order to avoid going under. Having already lost star rider Ezequiel Mosquera to Vacansoleil following his second place finish in the Vuelta a España and team manager Alvaro Pino to retirement, the Spanish pro continental team is battling for its future.

José Ramón Lete, the secretary-general for sport in the Galician regional government (the Xunta), has pledged to do all that he can to locate a new backer for the team before Friday, which is the final date on which teams must be registered with the UCI for 2011.

Lete has said that he has been speaking to a variety of potential partners in recent days, but he has not been able to finalise a deal that will guarantee the team’s future. Hopes had been raised when it was revealed the Xunta was in talks with Aluminios Cortizo, but according to La Voz de Galicia these negotiations ended without result last Friday (September 24).

Xacobeo went through similar problems and almost went under at the end of last season, before the Xunta stepped forward to provide financial guarantees to the UCI. Describing the situation as “extremely delicate”, Lete has confirmed that the riders and staff on the team will receive their salaries until their contracts run out at the end of the year.

With Mosquera already confirmed as leaving, Xacobeo’s other main star, Gustavo César Veloson, has admitted he is in negotiations with two ProTour teams, one of them based outside Spain. He said he is almost certain to leave “unless there is some kind of miracle”. Veloso lamented the fact that “we have gone from being heroes in Galicia and even at national level to being out in the street. It’s sad that the future of this project is not guaranteed”.