Sanremo sum-up

So, Milano-Sanremo didn`t go as well as I had thought it would. Koldo couldn`t mix it with the top sprinters, although he did a good race. Aitor was brilliant in the escape; he`s just impressive isn`t he? And with the falls and subsequent abandonments of experienced road-captains Jon Bru and Unai Etxebarria, Euskaltel were left a bit short on experience. Though, Euskaltel did reasonably well. Here`s what sports director in Italy, Jon Odriozola, had to say: "The truth is that I`m very satisfied with the team. We`ve done a great job, and we`ve been brave. Aitor Hernández spent more than 180 km ahead, and demonstarted his pride by attacking on the Cipressa before being reeled in. That says a lot about his character. He`s very ambitious, and when he accumulates some more experience, he`ll be a rider to count on. Aitor`s escape gave us exposure, and that was important for the rest of the riders and the team." On the race outcome, he said: "The race has been affected by the weather. The rain caused a lot of falls, and resulted in a lot of tension and pressure as everyone wanted to stay in the front to avoid them. In this aspect we were unlucky. Unai Etxebarria, our captain, fell a couple of times at the wrong moments. Unai is a great rider. He knows these races, and was important to us as we were not very experienced today. Jon Bru also hit the deck... In important moments we didn`t have a lot of luck. We lacked some experience today, but we`re learning." On Koldo he said: "Koldo did a good race. We tried to protect him a lot. With Aitor in the escape, we could take even better care of Koldo, as we had presence in the front. The Cipressa went well for him, but he wasn`t able to cross the Poggio among the front-runners, and therefore couldn`t contest the sprint. He came in with the first group, but without chances of winning. I told him all the time to follow Freire`s wheel, but that`s not an easy task when you haven`t got the force to do it. Freire is top-notch, and when he`s in such form, no-one was going to stop him. Ultimately, I look to Koldo`s win in Tirreno, where he confirmed he`s a rider capable of beating the very best. And the experience accumulated here today will be important for him in the next editions. Don`t forget he`s still only 25, and with a good margin of improvement."