Caja Rural thriving in Portugal after missing out on Vuelta a España wildcard

The Vuelta a España organizers have this week announced the teams that will be participating in the 2022 edition and Caja Rural - Seguros RGA have missed out on the invitation, as Euskaltel - Euskadi, Burgod-BH and Equipo Kern Pharma will represent the nation's teams from the Pro Team division.

The Spanish team have been left out of Spain's sole Grand Tour for the first time since 2011, having the rise of other Spanish teams and the lack of top results as the main reason. The day before the announcement, Orluis Aular took the team's first win of the season in Portugal at the hilly Classica da Arrabida a 1.2 event. However yesterday, as they prolong their stay in Portugal, they have struck once again with a one-two win at the Volta ao Alentejo.

The 1.2 stage-race in southern Portugal will see four sprint stages and a short time-trial, and the Spanish team have hit the ground running as Orluis Aular took another stage win, with teammate Iuri Leitão finishing second. There will be three more stages where the duo will have the opportunity to fight for stage wins, and the overall of the race is also likely to have a big influence of the bonifications at hand.