Mikel finishes Dauphiné 7th overall

The Dauphiné Libéré came to an end today, with Mikel Astarloza securing his 7th place overall. The stage itself did not result in any brilliant stage-placings, as Mikel was the best placed rider in 20th, closely followed by Haimar in 23rd and Igor in 28th. The stage did not turn out to be what I had hoped, as my expectations for the three aforementioned riders were high. And it seemed they had high expectations themselves. As Euskaltel didn`t have a man in the break, even though Rubén Pérez tried early on, they had to chase all day. They did so to great effect, as Gorka Verdugo and Iñigo almost singel-handedly neutralized the break with full control just at the start of the last, big climb. On the early slopes of the 1st cat. climb, Mikel and Haimar were at the very front. Though, they soon dropped backwards. Igor was no where to be seen, as he went right out the back of the leading group once the going got tough. But, still, they all rode heroically and got honourable placings. As I said, Mikel got an amazing 7th overall, something which is a good sign three weeks prior to the Tour. Haimar finished in 19th, something which also bodes well for his Tour plans. Igor finished back in 37th, and that in turn means Euskaltel got a nice 3rd in the team rankings. First, complete stage results:

• 20th, Mikel Astarloza, 1:39
• 23rd, Haimar Zubeldia, 1:39
• 28th, Igor Antón, 2:11
• 68th, Iñigo Landaluze, 11:10
• 81st, Gorka Verdugo, 11:10
• 112th, Rubén Pérez, 23:45
• 113th, Unai Uribarri, s.t
• 114th, Jorge Azanza, s.t

On GC, they placed:

• 7th, Mikel Astarloza, 5:00
• 19th, Haimar Zubeldia, 8:10
• 37th, Igor Antón, 24:58
• 55th, Gorka Verdugo, 37:04
• 58th, Iñigo Landaluze, 39:21
• 74th, Rubén Pérez, 54:43
• 102nd, Unai Uribarri, 1:24:52
• 109th, Jorge Azanza, 1:32:03

As Jorge finished 109th out of 114th, I`m afraid he can say adios to the Tour team now. But, luckily for him, he`s still young, so the time for this talented 24-year-old will no doubt come...