Spanish cyclocross champion Felipe Orts begins the 2026–27 season with a new team and renewed ambitions, following the collapse of the Ridley Racing Team project.
The 31-year-old has joined forces with Fundación Euskadi, racing under the La Vila Joiosa–Fundación Euskadi banner during the cyclocross season, while also representing Euskaltel–Euskadi on the road between March and September. Ridley will continue supplying his cyclocross bikes, with the agreement running until September 2028.
Orts has almost single-handedly raised the international profile of Spanish cyclocross. A silver medallist at the 2017 Under-23 World Championships, he achieved another landmark result by finishing runner-up to Thibau Nys at the 2024 European Championships in Pontevedra.
Despite his numerous Spanish national titles, Orts still has unfinished business internationally. A first victory in a major televised Belgian race and a World Championship podium remain among his principal ambitions.
He makes his debut in the new colours at today’s Kermiscross in Ardooie, hoping that the stability of his new arrangement will help him take the final step towards the sport’s biggest victories.