Samu, Mikel and Galdeano speak

Samu Sánchez, Mikel Astarloza and Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano all spoke to www.fundacioneuskadi.com after today`s second stage of the Vuelta al País Vasco. First up, Igor:" Today didn`t bring any surprises, it just showed that Saunier Duval is the best team here. Marchante, Gil and Cobo are all in perfect form to win this race, and they`re all solid. We did the best we could to make it difficult for them. Yesterday we had Aitor (Hernández) in the break, and today it was Astarloza`s turn. He`s a cyclist you cannot afford to give a huge gap to and he is well placed in the overall standings. Saunier Duval had to work to bring the break back. In the last ascent the favourites attacked, and we saw who`s in good form. Samu, without being in "super" form, came 4th. That says a lot about the qualities of this rider. We stayed optimistic and Samu continues being a candidate for the overall win. 17 seconds is a difference, but in a race like this, that`s not enough. There`s still much to fight for in this race".


Samu had this to say:" The stage was very hard, and I knew that the final part was very demanding and that it was important to keep going to the end. Of the favourites, Marchante seems to be going really well. He attacked a few times and didn`t stop until he was alone. In the end I accelerated, just so that I didn`t loose more time than necessary, and I reached Koldo Gil and got 4th. We spent another day where we had options to win the stage. Tomorrow, looking on the profile, will not be as hard as today, so it will be a day to save strength for the next stages, where we will return to fight for the win".


Breakaway-member of the day Mikel said this:"I lacked a little strength. All 8 riders in the break are in form. Beltrán, Redondo and myself were a little stronger, so we took off in search for a stage win, something Beltrán in the end achieved. For the team, the break was a perfect tactical move. I was not far away from the leaders on GC, and that meant trouble for the other teams. The team didn`t have to make a big effort, and we had possibilities to win the stage until the end. For the GC, Samu was our leader, and he still is. He`s 17 seconds adrift, but that`s not insurmountable considering the stages that are left. The team continues to trust Samu 100 %. He`s very ambitious, and we know he`ll do everything in his power to win it. We will do everything to help him".