On the roads of the Tour there is a new entry that carries a sense of the past: that of Caja Rural-Seguros Rga. Here, wearing the green and white jersey (plus golden wheat), riders of the caliber of Pello Bilbao and Michal Kwiatkowski, Hugh Carty and Alex Silva have passed through, but they did so frequenting that talent pool which still presents a competitive and strategic value in the policy of those who, in any case, occupy around 21st place in the world ranking.

And so we went back 37 years, as many have passed since the last appearance at the Grand Boucle, the 1989 edition which registered the stage victory of Dutchman Mathieu Hermans, while Marino Lejarreta achieved the impressive fifth place in the general classification.

Now, with a newly purchased bus to meet the needs of the quality leap, the Spanish team in which our Stefano Oldani competes marks its proud, not obvious, presence among the teams that animate this 2026 edition. In Voiron, a locality that also has an Iberian feel (venue of a stage finish at the 2025 Vuelta), the Milanese rider with number 226 reaches the bus by bike, directly from the hotel: "I'm making my Tour debut at 28 years old, after six Giro participations and the memorable victory in Genoa, plus a Vuelta in addition. When I was selected I felt great sensations, now I know what this race means for me and for our team, where there is awareness of how difficult the comparison is with the powerhouses, ready to leave little or nothing to others. Yet, we are enjoying every moment" explains Oldani, who tried to make his mark in the stage that ended in Belfort: "incredible heat, lots of effort and 117 km in a breakaway. It was worth trying with Ballerini, even though it didn't go as desired, on the day of Schmid's victory".

At Caja Rural, when in the first months of this year the possibility of doing the Grand Boucle emerged, they did not waver in their intentions, even if from the outside it seems easy: right Ruben Martinez? "I couldn't believe it, so great was the emotion I felt when the official announcement came from Aso. It's the reward for perseverance and long-term planning, for those who didn't give up even when, it was 2010, it was about resuming a path starting from a continental team, just to be clear how far we were from where we are now".

L'Equipe defined the green and whites as a "nursery": "yes, our nature as a talent pool remains intact and club activity at amateur level reflects the continuous efforts to develop new talents".

No one denies the favorable conjunction of circumstances, it would be improper to say that Caja Rural would be at the Tour without the end of Arkea and the merger between Lotto and Intermarché. Yet, the helm was well oriented for arrival at such a port: "the more comfortable bus with a shower on board seems marginal. It's the increased investments that made it possible to enjoy a calendar made up of much more prestigious races" - adds Martinez.

An open secret, the doubling of the budget (from 3 to 6 million) and the growth of the roster to 22 units, all within a three-year period. The best placed in the standings is Abel Balderstone, 55th, and it may seem relative, indeed perhaps it is. Yet - concludes the sports director - we have made ourselves known in several breakaways and even earned the combativity award with Dutchman Moolenar, who wore the polka dot jersey on the second stage in Barcelona".

From Navarre to the World (of cycling) with a capital W that couldn't be bigger: welcome back Caja Rural.