Fuerteventura-Canarias sign Ortega

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By Antonio J. Salmerón

Fuerteventura-Canarias announced the signing of Ximo Ortega to the outfit in conjunction with its launch yesterday. The 2006 Spanish National Champion will make his debut as a professional with the outfit this season under the command of Óscar Guerrero. With the announcement of Ortega's addition to the squad, the team now consists of 18 riders.

In conjunction with the launch Fuerteventura-Canarias also announced a new sponsorship deal with Compac.

Team director Óscar Guerrero emphasized importance of Ortega's signing to the squad. "Ortega reinforces our presence in the sprints," he said.

Guerrero, who had directed to the defunct Kaiku squad in 2005 and 2006, recognised that cycling is in crisis but believes it will bounce back.

"We are finding people that continue being interested in our sport," he observed. "All this demonstrates that we are recovering the lost confidence".

Fuerteventura-Canarias is starting its season at the Vuelta a la Comunidad Valenciana where it is led by David Bernabéu, who is accompanied by Adrián Bonilla, David Muñoz, Javier Cherro, Vicente Ballester, David Belda, Oleg Chuzhda and Dailos Diaz.

"The best opportunity for us will be the fourth and final stage in the Campello climb," Guerrero told Cyclingnews of his team's tactics.