It's not Rutkiewicz, it's Chaoufi!

Euskaltel's ninth and final foreign rider in 2013 will be Moroccan Tarik Chaoufi, not Marek Rutkiewicz as was anticipated. The 26-year-old national champion is the UCI's number one ranked African cyclist this year.

Chaoufi's signing was unveiled today alongside the confirmation of Greek Ioannis Tamouridis. Hailing from Azor, Chaoufi has taken a total of six wins this year, among them a stage at the Tropicale Amissa Bongo and a bunch of domestic races. With this signing, Euskaltel are done shopping this year and will count on 29 riders in 2013.

While many say, perhaps rightly so, that these nine foreigners are signed only to keep Euskaltel at cycling's top table and not for their athletic ability, General Manager Igor González de Galdeano insists on the opposite.

"The objective with signing these foreigners is based on a strategic commitment to make Euskaltel Euskadi stronger and more complete", he said at a press conference. "They're riders with UCI points, but they complement the other riders on the team and meet the urgent needs we've observed lately. The signings will bring quality to some of our weaknesses: classics and sprint finishes. The classics are getting more important on the world calendar - and they're races we haven't been able to get good results in. As such, we're missing out on a lot of big races and a lot of points. This is what we want to change in 2013".

Galdeano, who hasn't spoke publicly in quite a while as he focussed on getting the team set for the new season, is now likely to face a whole bunch of critical questions by journalists enraged at his decision to part with the team's unique philosophy. He argues, though, that the difference won't be all that great compared to this season, as next year's roster will include 20 Basques compared to 23 this year.

"Reality has forced us to sign riders who complement and strengthen the current roster in certain sections. Still, we've got 20 Basques against the 23 this year. We have more Basque cyclists in the team than in all other WorldTour teams combined. And we'd like to increase the number of Basques in the future. But if that is to happen, we need a team that wins more. And, in this regard, the new riders will come in handy. They're ambitious, they've got a winning mentality, and I want the local riders to learn this from them. These signings will make us more competitive and give us experience in disciplines and races we're not all that good at. Cycling continues to evolve, and we must aspire to stay at the elite level".

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