With Gaviria in the lead, Caja Rural announce '8' for historical Tour de France debut

The countdown to the 2026 Tour de France has ended for Caja Rural - Seguros RGA. The Spanish team has unveiled the line-up for its first-ever Grande Boucle, a historic debut that will officially begin this Thursday with the team presentation in Barcelona.

For this first appearance at the Tour, the Spanish squad has selected eight riders with complementary profiles and the ability to shine across different race scenarios. In addition, throughout the three weeks of the Tour they will wear a retro kit designed exclusively for this edition, inspired by the kit used by the former Caja Rural structure that raced the 1987 and 1988 Tours.

The team will be led by Abel Balderstone, the top Spaniard in the general classification at the last Vuelta a España, where he finished 13th. The Barcelona-born rider will make his Tour debut racing virtually at home after completing his entire professional career with Caja Rural - Seguros RGA.

Sebastian Berwick will also make his debut. The Australian arrives after delivering the team’s most important win of the season by taking the overall at the Tour of Turkey. His consistency also shows with sixth in Oman and fifth at the recent Tour of Slovenia.

Sprint duties fall to Fernando Gaviria, who will ride his third Tour de France. The Colombian already knows how to win, having in his palmarès two stages at the Grande Boucle, a feat achieved in 2018. In his first season with Caja Rural-Seguros RGA he has racked up 13 top-10 finishes and several runner-up spots in Oman, Hungary, and the Ronde van Limburg.

Alex Molenaar will bring versatility across multiple terrains. The Dutchman, raised and based in Catalunya, will be a key support for Gaviria in sprint finishes, while also seeking opportunities from breakaways. This year he was second at the Tour du Finistère and third at the GP La Marseillaise.

Joel Nicolau will act as road captain. The Girona native enters his seventh season with the Navarrese squad after being named Super Combative at the last Vuelta a España thanks to eight breakaways. He was also seventh recently in Slovenia and took silver at the Spanish Championships.

Stefano Oldani, meanwhile, will take on his first Tour after riding six editions of the Giro d’Italia, where he won a stage. The Italian will split duties between supporting Gaviria and hunting for chances on breakaway-friendly stages.

Jakub Otruba will also debut at the French race. The Czech strongman will bolster the work around the Colombian sprinter, while retaining freedom to join breakaways. In his Tour build-up he showed well at both La Flèche Wallonne and Liège, and arrives after winning a stage in Torres Vedras last year and taking two medals at his national championships.

The eight is completed by José Félix Parra, one of the team’s climbers. The rider from La Mancha was ninth overall at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and also finished in the top ten at both O Gran Camiño and the Tour of Turkey. With two previous starts at La Vuelta, his best result is 17th overall.