Euskaltel riders voice their dismay; Euskaltel hit back

The Euskaltel riders weren't overly happy to receive the news of the team failing to reach an agreement with Fernando Alonso's men on Monday.

According to various sources, the riders let their frustration and anger known at a meeting with the telephone company. Mikel Astorkiza, Euskaltel's corporate director, was allegedly in the firing line, with the riders understandably at a loss to figure out how a deal was not reached when Euskaltel wanted to sell and Alonso wanted to buy.

Only a few days later, Euskaltel decided to hit back at the critics.

In an at times strongly-worded press release, the team's long-standing sponsor denied they were at fault for the breakdown in negotiations and reserved the right to "take legal action to defend itself against false accusations".

The telephone company claims it's not true that they requested any sort of financial compensation from Alonso's men. What's more, they claim talks didn't reach a standstill over where the team was to be situated, and that the differing tax laws in Euskadi and Asturias were not an issue that hindered the negotiations.

More significantly, and contrary to reports, the dispute over the contracts of the team's backroom staff and sport directors were not the reason for the tentative agreement reached on August 31 being broken.

All in all, Euskaltel say they didn't hinder a deal being reached whatsoever, which begs the question what actually happened at the meetings between the two parties.

Alonso's men haven't offered an explanation as of yet, while Euskaltel still maintain that negotiations are confidential and thus should be kept away from the public eye.

Photo: BCPT