Guerrero - It's a dream to be here

To help lead the "new Euskaltel" in what's sure to be a testing 2013 season, team head Igor González de Galdeano turned to a sports director who's been out of the game for three years and has never coached a top-level team. Don't be fooled though, no one in the sport is questioning Óscar Guerrero's ability - actually, some would say, there are few as capable at what he does as the softly-spoken man from Navarra.

Having only coached Kaiku, Fuerteventura and Contentpolis-AMPO at pro level, leading a bunch of local stars and relatively unknown foreigners at some of the world's biggest races is going to be a monumental change. It's one he relishes, though.

"I've been out of cycling, as far as working with teams go, for three years, so to return, with the local team and a team at the highest level, is very exciting", he told El Pedal de Frodo. "It is a dream come true. Because when I started working as a DS, when I was 19, I always looked up to Euskaltel and dreamt of one day being able to be with that team and direct it from the car. In that sense, now was probably the moment I least expected to be contacted as I've been away for three years. It looked like it was going to be hard to return, but then Igor called me and offered me the chance. I hope to be able to pay him back for the confidence he's shown in me".

Guerrero, dubbed "the best signing by Euskaltel in 2012" by ex-pro Dioni Galparsoro in a recent interview, has been working with Bio-Racer ever since his last team, Contentpolis-AMPO, folded at the end of the 2009 season. Bio-Racer will of course manufacture Euskaltel's jerseys and shorts next year, but if there's any connection between Guerrero joining and Bio-Racer coming on board is unknown.

Euskaltel riders and staff were gathered in Derio this week for the first close-season camp, and he couldn't be happier with how the first get-together panned out.

"I'm very pleased - they welcomed me with open arms", he said. "I've only been here for two or three days, but it already feels like I've been here almost a year. The reception was very good both from the staff, the directors and the riders, some of them who I already know from having worked with them when they were amateurs and professionals. It was very good, I was taken care of and I'm very pleased".

Guerrero will be specifically tasked with leading the foreign signings in the races up north on the continent. Much has been made of the multi-lingual communication within the team this week, but Guerrero doesn't think it will pose any serious problems.

"Most of them speak some English", he said. "We don't have problems with anyone of them, as the Slovenians speak Italian and understand very well Spanish, but we'll be able to work better with them in English. We also have Tarik (Chaoufi) who understands a little bit of French, but he's very lively and will learn Spanish really fast".

Photo: Deia