The rider factfiles on the right-hand menu has now been updated. Egoi, Josu and Javier have all got their own now, while the departing riders' profiles have been removed. The new profiles, along with the old ones, will get new pics, the official 2008 pics, as soon as they are posted on Euskaltel's website.
So, I'm going away for a few days for some post-Christmas family-visits. I won't be back until Sunday, so now updates until then I'm afraid. Though, I don't think there would be much to write about anyway these days. But if you want to be sure that you don't miss any important news on Euskaltel at least, tune in to http://team-euskaltel.blogspot.com/. See you all on Sunday!
Fundacion Euskadi head Miguel Madariaga today told Basque newspaper DEIA that Euskaltel will not take part in the Tour of California in February as they had planned. As a consequence, Samu and Egoi will not get the possibility of honing their time trialling skills in the San Diego wind-tunnel. Why they chose not to do California I don't know, but I guess it's got something to do with logistics. The team's participation in the Giro d'Italia, the first of the three Grand Tours, was also cast into doubt. The team will preferably not take to the start in Palermo, but in case they can't find a better alternative, they'll do it. The team, which would be led by, mainly, Iñigo, Dioni and Koldo, have not performed well in Italy the last few years, but I still hope they'll do it. And with riders like the three aforementioned, you've always got a chance of success.
I remember writing this same post last year as well. Last year's post read: "It`s the 23rd of December, so Christmas is all over us again. I just want to take the opportunity to wish all of you a Merry Christmas, or Feliz Navidad as some of you may say. In Norwegian it`s God Jul. Anyway... Enjoy the festive period, and check into Iban Mayo Blog for updates throughout the holidays." Well, it's not the 23rd of December, but except for that my message is similar: enjoy the Holidays! I've been doing this blog for a while now, soon it'll be 15 months since the very first post, titled "Iban to Saunier Duval?", appeared on Iban Mayo Blog. I have no plans of stopping just yet, so, once again, stay tuned for everything Iban and Euskaltel. Merry Christmas!
Saunier Duval head Joxean "Matxin" Fernández finally showed his anger with the way the UCI is treating Iban. He was especially critical of UCI chief Pat McQuaid, just like me, calling him "the worst thing for cycling". Here's what he said in full: "Pat McQuaid is the worst thing for cycling at the moment. He is destroying cycling, and nobody knows why. I gave him my support many times before, but not now." "Matxin" was also furious with the way his team keep getting bad publicity due to the UCI. Iban and Piepoli both tested "non-negative" in the Giro but, as they both had medical exemptions, there was no need for the UCI to go public with it. Things like that are not supposed to be made official, they're supposed to stay within the organisations when the riders in question have shown their "innocence". All they do is to destroy the reputation of the team and the riders alike, so for me, go to h*** UCI. Destroying the reputation of cycling is not what you're payed to do.
Iban has got all the support in the world from his fans it seems. His fanbase is huge, much bigger than he probably knows himself. Though, where did the support from his employer go? Wouldn't it be natural that his team, Saunier Duval-Scott, gave him their backing in his dispute with the UCI? I certainly think so, and "Matxin" and all those guys have really let me down on this one. Most teams, if not all, would help their rider if he's being subjected to unfair and disgraceful treatment from the governing body of cycling. I haven't heard a word from them. Well, that's not totally true, I have heard "Matxin" saying something about how he feels bad for Iban and all that, but come on, you guys can do better than that! I guess they're afraid of falling out with the UCI if they support him, and rightly so, but that's not a sufficient excuse. Gianetti, Iban's your employee, he's not being treated the way he should, he's got certain rights as a human being, so get the finger out and do something. An employer is responsible for his/hers employees. That's all that counts; take action.
As expected, the Spanish Cycling Federation today confirmed they're on Iban's side in his fight with the UCI. A spokesman for the national federation said: "We're waiting for a war with the UCI. We don't want to go to CAS, but we are prepared to defend our rider". General secretary Eugenio Bermudez objected to the third test of the B-sample in Paris recently, saying "They wanted that second test because they are more interested in a result that works for them". Further, Bermudez defended the cyclists rights in cases like these: "What do we have to do to satisfy people? Change the laws? Destroy each cyclist's career? There are laws for everyone – cyclists, politicians, the UCI – and if Mayo had tested positive on that same day he would have been sanctioned. But the UCI are reading the rules in their own way, which just doesn't work for us." Enough said. Let the war begin.
The majority got it right this time; Iban's third B-sample did indeed come back positive. 62 % of the voters predicted this, something which doesn't come as a real surprise given it was tested in Paris.
Euskaltel will send a strong team to the first Pro Tour race of the 2008 season. Mikel, Jon, Aitor Galdos, Andoni, Amets and Iván will make up the squad. Mikel will probably the team's man for the GC, having won the race back in 2003. With Amets we've got someone for the climbs, and Aitor will no doubt be rearing to prove his speed in the sprint-finishes. The others are all good bets for breaks, so they should be able to leave their mark on the race.
Iban is not optimistic about his chances of pinning on a race-number and return to racing next year. Speaking to DEIA after the news of his positive E-sample broke, Iban said: "I have my doubts that I can race next year. It doesn't look likely because of the UCI. This has been going on for such a long time now, and little by little the hope of returning fades away, at least like a professional. I don't know what to do; it feels like a nightmare. I'm tired, and the problem is; I don't see any end to all this." He definetely seemed demoralized, but nonetheless said he's training like he's always done.
As expected, the Chatenay-Malabry lab in Paris today found Iban's E-sample positive again. Not that they had much choice, though... Anyway, the RFEC will still not do anything to suspend Iban, so that's good news. Further good news is that the lab in Gent, which found Iban's sample negative, has in fact closed the case, meaning the UCI had no right (again!) to re-test it. The case will probably now go to CAS, where Iban can be pretty sure he'll end up on the winning side. Though, this is going to drag on for a a while, so no decision is expected in the foreseeable future. Aupa Iban!
My personal favourite Antton Luengo is facing a "make or break"-season next year. The 26-year-old climbing prodigy showed flashes of brilliance in the mountains in 2006, but failed to build on those encouraging rides this season. After seeing Antton rock the mountains in the Deutschland Tour and Subida Urkiola, my hopes were big for the youngster this season. He started out exceptionally well though, it has to be said. He finished a very strong second on the opener of the Vuelta a Andalucía, but since then, he kind of disappeared a bit. He didn't record any results of note for the remainder of the campaign, so he has to start performing regularly if he is to remain with the team in the long-term I'm afraid. There's no doubting the talent, but without results to show for it, it doesn't help. Though, I believe he'll take a step up this year and prove what a great rider he is. Aupa Antton!
Several Euskaltel riders will participate in charity events the coming days. On Wednesday, the majority of the riders and the technical staff will go to the Hospital de Basurto, a local hospital, with Christmaspresents for the kids forced to spend the holidays at the hospital. On Friday several of the riders will participate in the Navidad de Unicef, or UNICEF's Christmas at the Megapark de Barakaldo. This is all good stuff and a brilliant initiative from the people at the head of the organisation. No wonder Euskaltel is so popular with the Basque locals.
There are rumours surfacing that Samu might be leaving Euskaltel before the upcoming season gets underway in the cycling media these days. Well, here's what I've got to say to that: That won't happen. He might leave at the end of the season, but surely not now. He's got a contract, he's planned his 2008 season and anyway I reckon it's way too late in the off-season to suddenly change teams now. Trust me, he'll be around come the new campaign. Don't you worry...
Samu today confirmed he will take part in next year's Tour de France. He told Cyclingnews about his hopes for the race: "I want to get there in the best possible condition in order to fight for the general classification, but also to win a stage. I don't have a lot of experience in the race (he took part in 2002 and 2003, but abandoned on both occasions) ,but it doesn't matter, as it's very difficult to plan a race that is gained day by day." Samu further revealed that he'll line up at the Vuelta a Murcia, running from March 4-8, where he hopes to hone his climbing and time trialling skills even more. Prior to that, he will have visited the wind-tunnel in California, just like he did last year.
Former World Champion Igor Astarloa, now of Milram, revealed to DEIA that he would love to join Euskaltel, but that he was told he was too old. The Classics specialist has had a bad year with the German/Italian formation due to injuries and illness, and was told by the Milram heads that he could look for another team if he wanted to. Igor spoke to Madariaga, but was told he didn't fit into the program because of his age. Euskaltel would focus on youth, not 31-year-olds. Igor was left a little baffled, as Madariaga had inquired about his availability just a year prior. Though, he still has hope of one day representing his home team, saying: "Maybe if I perform really well this year they'll be interested". I sure hope he does, as I would love to see Igor pull on the famous orange jersey. He would be such an inspiration for the younger riders, and is still more than capable of pulling of major wins. Igor will ride for Milram again next year, but perhaps in 2009 he'll team up with the best Basques at Euskaltel.
Samu may leave Euskaltel come the end of next season. The 29-year-old all-rounder did not accept Euskaltel's first contract offer to extend beyond 2008, citing economical reasons. Samu then came with his own contract suggestion, to which Euskaltel are yet to reply. Madariaga has admitted there is a chance Samu will leave come the end of the upcoming campaign, and has said to DEIA that they'll answer Samu at January the 10th the latest; the day of the team's presentation. The difference between the two parties are only economical ones, as both would like to extend the cooperation. Well, Madariaga, Galdeano and all you other Euskaltel heads, I don't care how much money he wants, give it to him, break the bank. He's fundamentel to the success of the squad at present and in the future.
Alán Pérez is recuperating from his sore right ankle these days. The injury was sustained towards the latter stages of the season, but he's still suffering from it. He was supposed to participate in the III Criterium de Corralejo on the Fuerteventura islands, in which Haimar posted 2nd, but sadly had to back out at the last minute due to his ankle. He'll hopefully be back soon, ready and set for another long season for the young hopeful.
Several Euskaltel riders are honing their form for the upcoming season on the Fuerteventura islands. Markel, Haimar and Iñigo, together with several other Basques trying to escape the rain and cold weather back home, among them former Euskaltel riders Mikel Pradera and David López Garcia, are getting in the necessary miles down there these days. On Friday the all took part in a local cyclosportive race, named the Dunas de Corralejo-Kilómetros contra el Cáncer. Haimar grabbed second spot, and let's hope that's a sign of what's to come from him next year. How the others fared I don't know, but as it's a cyclosportive, it doesn't really matter anyway to be honest. The important thing is that they're getting into decent shape, and especially so for Haimar who'll be targeting many of the early-season races.
Euskaltel's feeder team, Orbea Oreka SDA, will be a much revamped formation next year. The team, with Álvaro González de Galdeano, Igor's older brother, at the helm, will focus almost solely on youth. The only riders to stay with the team from the 2007 season will be David Martín, Iván Melero and Igor Romero. The rest of the riders that made up this campaign's squad have all been showed the door to make room for no less than 9 riders, yeah you didn't misread it, under the tender age of 23. Those 9 include ex-Euskaltel rider Unai Uribarri, who'll be the team's most experienced rider. Joining him will be the vastly talented Eladio Sánchez, previously of Liberty Seguros, and the following 7 young hotshots: Daniel Sesma, Aitor Olano, Eriz Ruiz de Erentxun, Jonathan Castroviejo, Mikel Nieve, Sergio de Lis and Miguel Mínguez. I admit I don't know a whole lot about all these youngsters, which maybe isn't that strange considering that most of them are 19 and 20-year-olds. Though, I have been following two of them, namely Jonathan Castroviejo and Aitor Olano. The two caught my attention early on last season through strong performances and results in the Spanish youth categories, and I already then hoped they would come to Orbea's attention. They're hugely talented, just like the rest of the bunch, and hopefully they'll one day be a part of the Euskaltel line-up. At least time is on their side.
This is the placard Iban's fan club put on show in the cyclo-cross race held in Igorre a week or so ago. The placards were highly visible all day long, and attracted a lot of attention. Mission accomplished!
"Matxin" Fernández has planned the 2008 season with Iban in his mind. Iban will, if he's allowed to race that is, do the Tour just like this year, but whether he'll do the Giro as well he didn't say. "We will prepare for the Tour with Iban, but I'm not sure if ASO will be very pleased with that", he told El Correo.
Iban will not be present at Saunier Duval's first team get-together of the year, starting today in Noja, Cantabria. Iban would not violate the Ethical Code by actually being there, as he's not under investigation, but has decided not do so anyway as it probably wouldn't do his relationship to the UCI any good. He told DEIA that he wouldn't be there, but that he's training on his own back home. "I'm training, I ride my bike and I go to the gym", he said.
The latest issue of Procycling, probably the best cycling mag out there, includes some lines about Iban and his multiple B-tests. The brilliant Jeff Jones, who writes the sarcastic and at times hilariously funny "Keeping up with the jones" news analysis, was obviously on Iban's side in this case. To quote Mr Jones, here it is: "Continuing on with the positive theme, it's absolutely fantastic to see rigorous scientific methods being employed in Iban Mayo's case. Positive A sample, negative B sample. Drop the case? No, just re-test the B sample until it comes back positive. Best of three. No wait, best of five. First to 21 wins". He got it spot on, huh?
Iban's fan club, the Iban Mayo Lagunartea, will show it's support for Iban on Sunday. A race of the cyclo-cross World Cup will be held in Igorre, where he was born, on Sunday, and Iban's fans will take advantage of the occasion to showcase their support for Iban and his fight for justice. The fan club will bring a "Iban Mayo Justizia"'-placard, which I don't think needs translation, to the event, and will let their opinion show. It's a great initiative and, even though most people are aware of the injustice and unfair treatment he's being subjected to, will further put forward Iban's case to the public.
Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano further revealed the team's plans for the upcoming season in today's Gara. In short, here's what he had to say:
Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano has already given indications of how next year's racing-calendar will look like. The team will have approximately 25 racing-days less than this year. No races in Portugal will be done, while in France only the Pro Tour races will be on the team's schedule, except for the Tour and some Classics perhaps. The team will also give the Vuelta a la Rioja and the Giro del Trentino a miss next year, though the Giro di Piemonte will suprisingly be included in the team's 2008 plans. Galdeano confirmed that Samu is likely to do the Tour next year, and he also mentioned the riders in the frame for a spot on the Tour team. It looks to be the same team as last year, with Mikel, Haimar, Rubén, Amets, Iñigo, Igor, Gorka, Aitor and Jorge all on the short-list. The team will likely do the Giro as well, suddenly, as Markel and Dioni were definite starters for the Italian Grand Tour according to Igor. Euskaltel will, reluctantly, start the season in January in the Tour Down Under, and might also head to the States for the Tour of California in February as the team have received an invitation. Nothing has been decided, but it's an option. Obviously there'll be many changes come the new season, but one thing stays the same; the biggest goals. As always, the Vuelta al País Vasco and the other Basque races, together with the Tour and the Vuelta, will be the main objectives says Igor.
Samu will, according to several sources, probably do the Tour instead of the Vuelta next year. Samu, who's been brilliant in the Vuelta the last few years, has his eyes firmly set on the Beijing Olymipcs in the summer of 2008. The course is tailor-made for him and, as the Tour ends just 10 days prior to it, he figured "why not do the Tour as well?". Samu did the Tour in 2002 and 2003 I think, but hasn't participated ever since. It would be a big boost to the whole squad if Samu was to take part, as he'll no doubt leave his mark on the race.
Fundacion Euskadi head Miguel Madariaga commented on Iban's on-going doping-case in today's Diario Vasco. Even though he doesn't really say that much, it's clear he has sympathy for Iban and that there's no bad feelings concerning Iban's departure from the team. "No matter what some people might have said; I'm not happy with what has happened to Iban. It's bad for everybody. For cycling in general it's bad, though I think it's worst for Iban himself. It must be terrible not being able to do anything. A person like me, with cycling in the blood, cannot be happy with this situation. Mayo left Euskaltel and initiated a new stage in his career elsewhere. When he left, we wished him the best of luck".
In today's El Correo there is an interview with the returning Egoi Martínez. The 29-year-old will be one of Euskaltel's main hopes for success come the new season, and was looking forward to assuming leadership responsabilities. He mainly talks of his stay with Discovery, put also had something to say about his new team. Read on: "It's been the hardest winter ever. As I'll be one of the captains I've had to put down a lot of work. I hope to return to the level I displayed in 2006. Here, like with Discovery, I'll have freedom in some races, but sometimes I'll work for the others as well. After all, there are many good riders in this team. The team has changed a lot; you can easily see that from outside as well. We talked about how the team has changed in Discovery. I've always got along well with Miguel Madariaga, and I like Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano's vision of the sport. He'a an intelligent director."
Spanish Secretary for Sport, the controversial Jaime Lissavetzky, has said he's reluctant to fight with the UCI in the "Mayo case". "A balance between the fight against doping and the respect for the rights of cyclists needs to be found", he started, but then, disappointingly, went on to say "I don't want to enter into polemics with the UCI. When I heard that the B sample was not 'positive', I said that the rules had to be fulfilled, that is, Iban Mayo was cleared of doping. But then we come into some formal legal aspects used by the UCI as a reason for claiming a new analysis of the B sample, so I don't want to argue with the UCI". Well, this is disappointing, as I had hoped Lissevatzky knew the rules for these kind of cases. But then again, who can blame him? Has there ever been a case like this before?
Iban's test is probably coming back in December, and the majority got it right this time round. 30 % voted for "December", while 23 % voted for the originally-unserious-but-maybe-not-so-unlikely-after-all option of "Before London 2012". Interestingly, "Never of course" accumulated 14 %, clearly showing what many cycling fans think of the UCI these days.
Iban and his team of representatives and lawyers are not happy with the UCI's decision to perform a third B-sample test. Iban finds it ridiculous, and rightly so, that the third test will be carried out in the only lab that's come up with a positive result so far: " They will get the result they want there (in Chanenay-Malabry)," he said frustrated. "In Paris they'll be able to analyse it time and time again until they get the result they want. They'll do it 15 times over if that's what it takes". Iban's representatives have asked the UCI to explain how on earth this is legal, but has of course not received an answer as of yet. Iban has therefore said that neither he nor one of his representatives will be present in Paris for the testing. The Spanish papers are all on Iban's side in this fight, with many highly-regarded newspapers calling the UCI criminals and claiming Iban is being prosecuted and the subject of a witch-hunt. I couldn't agree more. Luckily his national cycling federation share our opinions, as a spokesman for the RFEC said that "we won't change our decision no matter the result of the third test. We cannot judge the same thing twice. We've shelved the case".
Euskaltel will stage a training-camp for all 26 riders in Derio running from Monday to Thursday next week. The team will mainly train together and plan what races to do and what races not do for each individual rider in 2008. Medical examinations and meetings with the press will also take place. The last couple of years Euskaltel have held a training-camp in Alicante in January but, due to the inclusion of the Tour Down Under on the Pro Tour calendar, this won't happen in 2008.
