Despite only operating at the ProTeam level, Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi have made some of the most interesting signings on the transfer market this year, but won't be delivering on their plans to step to the WorldTour.
Formed in 2020 as a club team, the Basque squad have made a steep ascension up the ranks in the peloton, earning ProTeam status in 2025 and announcing plans to step to the WorldTour with a budget of €1.8 million.
The team confirmed they have reached that budget, and they finished 2025 ranked 15th, so high enough to earn a WorldTour license, the goal they've been aiming at for years. However, when the list of applicants was released by the UCI, it was a surprise that Labora Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi had only applied for a ProTeam license.
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The reason is that since the team laid out that plan back in 2022, the costs involved in running a women's team have skyrocketed, and €1.8 million just wasn't enough now.
"Three years ago, we set up a budget to be a WorldTour team. Today, we have that budget, but the reality is that it's not enough to be a top WorldTour team," General Manager Aitor Galdos said.
Whilst exact budgets were not publicly known, FDJ-Suez – the highest-ranked team in 2025 – was believed to have a budget in excess of €4.5 million, whilst teams like UAE Team ADQ had even bigger pockets.
"So, we've decided to be one of the best ProTeams. We're keeping our current category, and with this budget, we believe we have the needed guarantees to be one of the best ProTeams," Galdos said of Laboral.
"It was a well-considered decision, and of course, it was made in agreement with our main sponsors."
Despite choosing to stick at ProTeam level for now, the team continued their streak of strong rider recruitment, and certainly seemed committed to being one of the best ProTeams in 2026.
The team recorded 12 wins in 2025 – more than any other ProTeam, including the big-budget EF Education-Oatly – with top result in the overall at the Tour Féminin International des Pyrénées with the fast-rising Usoa Ostolaza.
The team signed several WorldTour riders for 2025, including Arianna Fidanza and Yuliia Biriukova, after already signing Ane Santesteban as their GC leader.
For 2026, they're set to add Movistar climber Paula Patiño to their ranks, as well as Marjolein van 't Geloof (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and Tiril Jørgensen (Coop-Repsol) as they create a stronger, more international team.
