The Basque Pro Continental team "Euskadi Basque Murias" is in a "last chance salon" and rumors that this may be the team's final season are unfounded, team director John Odriozola claimed. [At the start of stage 11 of the Vuelta a España, Odriozola told Cycling News.

Alarm bells began ringing earlier this week when Spanish media reported that Euskadi Murias had given the riders the right to look for another team for 2020.

But Odriozola says Euskadi Murias, one of four pro-continental teams participating in this year's Vuelta a España, has not yet thrown in the towel; he finds it "very frustrating" that a sponsor for 2020 has not been decided.

"The problem is that we don't have a sponsor for 2020.

"The problem is that everything is really behind schedule. The team has accomplished a lot and it's frustrating for everyone to have to wait this long," he says. Not just for us, but for everyone who supports the team." Not just for us, but for everyone who supports the team."

"It's unfortunate that after all the hard work and good results, we have to wait until almost the last minute to make an announcement."

"It's a shame," he said.

Good news about sponsors may be just around the corner in the medium term, but in the short term, when Euskadi Murias took his second stage win in two years at the Vuelta a España on Wednesday, Odriosola's team could not have been in a more It was a good situation.

Mikel Iturria's solo victory came just 24 hours before the Vuelta arrived in Bilbao.

Iturria made a strong breakaway 25 km from the line after forming part of the break of the day. Although she was only six seconds behind at the finish, she was able to contribute to her professional debut and a timely victory for her team.

"Before the race, the team management asked me which stage would suit me best, and I said "this stage,"" Iturria told reporters after the race.

"But I was thinking about getting into the breakaway. Winning is something else entirely, much better."

Still, Iturria chose to check out the route of stage 11 before the Vuelta.

"I've been in the area for a while, so I thought I'd have a look at the last 80km," he said. It helped a lot."

What helped even more was that after Iturria fell two thirds of the way through the stage, in the second class 2 mountain of Ispegui (where the pre-race reconnaissance almost began), the Basque rider finally regained contact with the main group with 25km to go, and in a smart show of tactics, pretended to weaken and immediately went solo. It was then that he pulled away from the leaders.

"I'm a diesel type rider, so the change of pace doesn't suit me at all, but when I came back, Odriozola told me to play dead and get into the tail end of the break and just go for it and open the gap as fast as I could. [When I heard that the gap had opened up to over 20 seconds, I said, 'Okay, I bet.

"I told myself never to look back and I didn't look back until there were two kilometers to go. When I looked back, I could see they were getting closer and closer.

"With 100 meters to go, I knew they would catch me. But then I thought, "If they are stronger than me and I am even weaker than I am now, I better keep running and give it my best."

For Iturria, whose career was nearly over after breaking her femur in the 2017 Tour of Limousin, her first professional win in a Grand Tour was a huge leap forward. In Odriozola's team car, the Basque coach later told Spanish television that he "almost had a heart attack" because the victory was on a knife-edge for many kilometers.

"This is a great victory for us." "Thank you to all the people who have supported us throughout the years."

The team started as a continental team in 2015 and became Euskadi Basque Murias the following year.

At the 2018 Vuelta a España, Oscar Rodriguez won La Camperona ahead of Rafal Mayka (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Edu Prades won the Tour of Turkey. Following his lone win at the Tour de Limousin and two stage wins at the Tour of Portugal this year, Iturria's success on Wednesday gave him nine wins, his most so far this season and one more than in 2018.

As for future sponsors, Odriozola told Cycling News before the stage that good news is expected to be announced within 15 to 20 days.

"The recent conversations have been in the right direction," Odriozola said. We are being cautious because this situation affects a lot of people, not just the players, but the staff as well."

Odriozola said that rumors spread this spring that Euskadi Murias and the Continental Equipo Foundation team (the latter is managed by former Euskaltel-Euskadi director Miguel Madariaga, who will turn pro-continental) may merge have a realistic When asked if there was any basis for this, he did not give much clarification.

"We are working to ensure that this project has a future. We are a professional continental team and we are competing in the Vuelta a España for the second year in a row," Odriozola said.

"Some people think that the more united we are, the better. But now it seems we can keep going with the companies that support us. They can see that we are already doing a great job."

Of Euskadi Murias' performance in the Vuelta, Odriozola said before Ituria's victory.

"For example, when we used two riders in the break in Andorra, where most of the World Tour riders were, you could see it, and Oscar [Rodriguez] was close to the top riders. It shows that we have grown as a team.

"Performances like that motivate everyone. But most of all, it's nice to see people relate to our team. We may be small, but we have a big heart."

Today's arrival in Bilbao in the Basque Country (stage 12) will be a high point for the team.

"It's going to be tremendous. We're expecting a great welcome. It's not often you get a chance like this.

And exactly the same could be said of Euskadi Murias' Ituria when it comes to stage 11 victories.