Jon in the break; Samu 14th

It was a mixed first stage for Euskaltel in the Euskal Bizikleta today. On the positive side, Jon Bru was part of the break of the day, and crossed 4 of 5 categorized climbs first, meaning he`ll wear the mountains jersey tomorrow. On the bad side, Samu wasn`t quite up there with the very best today, and lost 39 seconds to winner Alberto Fernández of Saunier. And, perhaps more importantly, he lost 33 seconds to José Ángel Gómez Marchante. Samu eventually crossed the line in 14th place; not bad, but not good enough if he wants to win the race. Amets Txurruka was also a bit disappointing today, as he came home a distant 56th, 3:19 down. Though, that probably means he`ll be on the attack in the stages to come. Complete results:

• 14th, Samu Sánchez, 0:39
• 53rd, Iban Iriondo, 3:19
• 56th, Amets Txurruka, 3:19
• 70th, Iban Mayoz, 7:00
• 78th, Lander Aperribay, 9:27
• 82nd, Beñat Albizuri, 9:27
• 83rd, Unai Etxebarria, 9:27
• 121st, Jon Bru, 13:54