Euskaltel will line up for Saturday's local race GP Miguel Indurain with the following riders: Igor, Beñat, Egoi, Gorka, Amets, Jorge, JJ, Iván, Alán and Rubén. The 12th edition of the race will as usual be hilly, so look out for on-form riders Beñat, Igor, JJ and Amets. And, by the way, these ten riders will also recce the first stage of the Vuelta al País Vasco tomorrow. Just so you know.
Koldo has been forced to pull out of the upcoming Classics due to a niggling ear infection. The sprinter was scheduled to lead the team in the Driedaagse de Panne, Ronde van Vlaanderen, Paris-Roubaix and GP Pino Cerami. Instead of being out there doing what he does best, he's now in hospital trying to get this thing figured out.
After returning from the Tour de Normandie without a single result to show for it, I for one was thinking: "Was this a good idea in the first place?". I think a lot of others were thinking the same thing, but, according to manager Alex Díaz, it was more than worthwhile: "We return from Normandie with the feeling that this was the perfect race to fulfil our objectiv as a team: to develop. We've experienced a different kind of racing than what we're used to. The races we normally take part in weren't held this week and therefore we went to Normandie. A lot of very strong teams took part, comprising of very strong riders with a different way of riding compared to our riders. All this meant we had to adapt to the route, which was a very hard one, if we wanted to compete. For this reason alone I think it's really good that we took part, eventhough we didn't obtain any good results. The six riders that took part learnt a lot, they learned how to compete. We were very aggressive the first few days but, as imagined, the stages eventually took their toll and made the riders exhausted. It made it a lot harder that we didn't know 'how' to race in these kind of races. That tired us. We have to continue to take part in races like this, it aids the riders' development. But we have to be conscious of our goals going into them."
Euskaltel were neither lucky nor good in today's Gent-Wevelgem. After finishing a superb 6th last year, hoped were high that Koldo could again mix it with the best. It wasn't to be though. Koldo himself suffered a mechanical mishap exactly when he was supposed not to, while Iñaki and Romain both hit the deck. The former even crashed twice. After Koldo had experienced his customary bad luck, the guys did everything to get him back up to the front group. They didn't succeed though, but they were visibly tired afterwards, Pablo and Alán throwing in the towell at the first feed stop. Eventually Rubén ended the day as best placed Euskaltel rider, coming home in 49th place, 11:46 back. The other guys, that being Koldo, Javier, Iñaki and Romain, all came in a massive 22:14 down.
Alvaro González de Galdeano spoke to the press afterwards, saying: "We were very aggressive. We've been in the breaks, we've fought for the Sprint Jersey, we've had Igor and Iván up there in each stage, Galdós has been in the sprints and gotten good results... Despite taking a very young team to the race we've been in the thick of the action. We'll try to keep it up. Let's see if we can translate the good work we're doing in every race into a win."
Samu capped off great work by the team in today's Critérium International with a fine third place. The stage, which ended atop the Ospedale, saw Euskaltel and Astana assume control early on. The guys worked their buts off for their captain and he didn't disappoint. Fédrigo escaped to take the win ahead of Machado, but Samu held off Evans to take third, a result which sets him uå nicely for tomorrow's two concluding stages. Besides Samu, Beñat did well to claim 12, only 19 seconds down, while Egoi came in 27th, 1:52 back. Amets, Jorge and JJ all came in 10:46 back, while Mikel ended the day another 11 minutes in arrears. After the stage, the man himself was one happy rider. "The team was fantastic", he beamed. "The first thing I want to do is to congratulate them on their performance because they truly were amazing. We took control of the race right after we passed the first feed station, and together with Astana we set a high pace until we got to the climb. We encountered a strong head-wind on the climb, something which resulted in the group mainly staying together. Fédrigo and Machado were very aggressive and they surprised us. Beñat was phenomenal in making sure they didn't get too big an advantage. But Fédrigo got big enough a gap to be able to win the race."
Aitor Galdós did really well to claim 5th on today's penultimate stage of the Volta a Catalunya. The stage finished atop the famed Montjuic, a small climb that tends to be too hard for the sprinters. And so it proved, with the win being taken by Dumoulin and with top stage-racers like Joaquin Rodriguez, Rein Taaramae, Klöden, LL Sánchez and Kreuziger all making the top 10 on the stage. And in fifth place was our own Aitor. Great ride. Also in that 46-man strong lead group was Igor, Jonathan and Iván. Gorka came home 1:41 down, Daniel and Miguel 3:02, and Sergio a massive 11:30. With one stage to go, the GC looks like this:
Sergio De Lis made sure Euskaltel didn't miss out on presence in the break of the day in today's fifth stage of the Volta a Catalunya. The San Sebastián native, or Donostia, call it what you like, went after Davide Malacarne and Javier Ramirez, the duo having already got a gap after attacking earlier on. Together with Gustavo Cesar Veloso he managed to bridge up and the quartet quickly got a sizeable gap back to the bunch. In the interests of the team Sergio won both intermediate sprints, as well as taking some points on the stage's many climbs. The break was, with the exception of Malacarne who'd go on to win the stage, reeled back in, and Sergio eventually ended up in 56th place, 2:11 down. Igor and Iván again did well to come in with the main group of favourites, both 40 seconds down. Miguel and Gorka both came in 4:22 back, while Aitor, Jonathan and Daniel all came in 16:30 in arrears. Overall Igor is now a good, if unspectacular 11th, 1:27 down, while Iván is five places further back, 10 more seconds adrift. Not bad!
Orbea continued their dismal Tour de Normandie yesterday. Given their strong early-season form I'm surprised at this sub-standard performance. All of the riders ended the day 14 or more minutes in arrears, so I don't really see the point in listing their placings. They're also way back in the overall standings naturally. But I'm looking forward to tomorrow's stage; it can only get better.
Another day in Catalunya, another day for Jonathan to go on the attack. The precocious youngster today secured his Special Sprints Jersey, taking maximum points on the first sprint, ahead of Gorka and Aitor, and getting second on the next one. Good one. The fact that he spent another day ahead of the pack in the break is even more impressive. Voigt won from that same break, but by then Jonathan had been reeled back in by the pack. Igor and Iván did well to come home with the main group of favourites, while Miguel Minguez also rode well to come home in the next group, just a minute and a half behind Igor and Iván's group. The rest of the guys ended up way back, but it doesn't really matter. The most important thing was that Jonathan secured his jersey! Afterwards, he had the following to say: "This stage was really hard. The pace to begin with was unbelievable, and as a result a break didn't stick until kilometre 50. The profile of the stage was deceptive. It looked like a quite flat day with a few ups and downs, but it turned out too be really hard with a few testing climbs. Thanks to the work of my team-mates I was able to win the first sprint, and as a result I ended up in the break. That's why I went for the second sprint as well. I was quite sure the break wouldn't last. The head-wind really tired us, but it was important to win the jersey, so I had to go on the attack. After that I went back and saved myself a bit. Besides winning the jersey, I'm pleased with the fact that I've been in two breaks with strong riders. That boosts the morale".
Euskaltel will take part in three races the coming week-end: The Criterium Internacional, E3 Prijs-Harelbeke and Gent-Wevelgem. For the first time, if I'm not mistaken, Samu will take part in the Criterium. I've been long longing for him to take part as this two-day, three-stage race should shuit him to perfection. And, hey, there's no Jens Voigt lining up, so maybe he can pull it off! Egoi, Gorka, Mikel, Beñat, JJ and Jorge will join him on Corsica.
Euskaltel will send the same team to both Harelbeke and Wevelgem. Interestingly, Romain will ride. Can't really see those kind of races suit him, but he probably knows what he's doing. And, he is strong on the flats, so who knows? Koldo will of course be there as well, as will perennial underachiever Javier Aramendía. It's high time the wonderkid steps up and shows us what he's made of I reckon. Rubén, AlAn, Iñaki and Pablo will also be there. Look out for Pablo do to well!
Jonathan manages to hang onto his Special Sprints Jersey on today's third stage of the Volta a Catalunya. The team took control of the early parts of the stage, and Jonathan successfully grabbed all three points in the first sprint. Good work. After that, Daniel Sesma did well to get into the break of the day, but of course it didn't last. Xavier Tondo and 'Purito' were a level above the rest today and came in 1:20 ahead of a 19-man strong group, containing most of the favourites, including Igor and Iván. The rest of the guys were all more than 15 minutes in arrears. Even so, Alvaro expressed his contentment after the stage: "It was a hard day. The first objective of the day was to defend Castroviejo's jersey. He did very well yesterday, and we had to help him. We took responsibility and contolled the first kilometres, and we grabbed the three points in the first sprint. This made sure we'll be on the podium for another day. Later on, we got Sesma into the break. Many teams went for the win today, and for the GC, so the road turned to a battlefield. 'Purito' Rodríguez showed his strength and intentions. Other teams tried to do the same, something which resulted in a very demanding race. I'm very pleased with my riders' performances though. Everyone is learning, and we managed to put Iván and Igor in the front group. On such a hard day, the youngsters felt it, but they're impressive. Castroviejo yesterday, today Sesma. It's necessary to value our performance in the right circumstances, and the fact is that we've done well on these three stages."
I said I would be back to report on today's two stages of the Tour de Normandie. Well, I won't report much at all, as Orbea were totally invisible for both stages. The best it got was Beñat Urain's 21st place on the first of today's stages. That's not really awesome, but hopefully they'll put their mark on the race on the remaining stages.
Sorry guys, I'm a little late with this news. Orbea are presently competing in the Tour de Normandie, in the north of France. The team sent a roster comprising of Beñat Urain, Mikel Ilundain, Ricardo Garcia, Andoni Blázquez, Noel Martín and Adrián Sáez de Arregi. The first two stages have been raced, but none of the guys have been up there at all so far. Though, Ricardo Garcia was in the break of the day yesterday. Good on him. Check back later for a review of stage 3!
Everything's relative though, with 'good' in Euskaltel's case meaning, not a win, or even a rider in the top 10, but two in the top 20, or three in the top 21 if you like. In a prologue that's not too shabby from the guys. Jonathan was no doubt most impressive, coming home 18th, 8 small seconds back on the 3,6 kilometre-long course in Lloret del Mar. Aitor Galdós finally showed something close to form, placing 20th, at eight seconds as well, while Gorka continued his strong start to the season with a 21st place, as well just 8 seconds down. Igor, the team leader for the race, placed an OK 42nd, 13 down, while Iván was 23 down in 106th place, Daniel 24 down in 113th, Sergio 29 in 142nd, and Miguel in 157th place 35 back. Not too bad at all.
Euskaltel will send the following eight riders to the Volta a Catalunya, to be held from the 22nd to the 28th of March: Igor, Aitor Galdós, Daniel, Jonathan, Miguel, Sergio, Iván and Gorka. Time to get that first win!
The Vuelta al País Vasco is rapidly approaching, and is once again one of the team's most important races. The race, which will run from 5-10 of April, will see eight of these ten riders take part: Samu, Beñat, Gorka, Egoi, Alan, Rubén, Iván, JJ, Mikel and Amets. Samu is, of course, the leader and will no doubt take part. I reckon so too will Egoi, Gorka and Rubén and Alán as well. That leaves JJ, Mikel, Amets, Beñat and Iván to fight it out for the three remaining spots. Judging by their form and the parcours, I'd take Beñat, JJ and Mikel, but that's just me.
Two of the most promising Orbea riders, Jon Izagirre and Mikel Landa, have both been chosen to represent Spain's under-23 team in the first race of the Cup of Nations under-23 category this year, to be held in Portugal towards the end of this month. The two youngsters have impressed mightily with their performances so far, and they both caugh they eye of Spain coach José Luis dos Santos. They'll line up alongside Higinio Fernández of Caja Rural, and Lluis Mas, Pascual Orengo and José Carlos Lara of the Burgos 2016 formation.
Naturgas Energía will once again participate in two races the coming weekend. On Saturday they'll take on the first race in the Torneo Sub23 category, the Subida a Gorla. Mikel Landa, now with Orbea, won this race last year, so the guys will no doubt be out to defend their win. Lining up will be Fernando Grijalba, Carlos Barbero, Alberto Guinea, Jon Larriñaga, David Hidalgo, Mikel Bizkarra, Pello and Alex Bilbao, Igor Merino, Aitor Ocampos, Urtzi Legarra and Andoni Sánchez.
The next day the following riders will line up in the Estella, the third race of the year in the Lehendakari category: Alex and Pello Bilbao, Jon Larriñaga, Igor Merino, Rory Martinez, David Hidalgo, Fernando Grijalba, Unai Martínez, Carlos Barbero, Alberto Guinea and Mikel Martioda.
Obrea have, like Euskaltel the last few years, understood that time trialling is an important part of cycling. Just recently, three of their most gifted youngsters, Jon Izagirre, Mikel Landa and Aritz Etxebarria, spent a day on their aero machines to hone their skills against the clock. The trio rode their road bikes from Derio to Mungia, but once there, switched to their Orbea Ordus to get more familiar with the bike, the position and all that. They spent several hours on their TT bikes, something which will no doubt hold them in good stead when the stage-races come down to that one, last race against the clock.
The last stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico was held today without Euskaltel leaving their stamp on it. For the first time so far in the race (I think), there was no rider present in the break of the day. Instead Euskaltel opted to put all their faith in Iñaki's sprinting ability, something which didn't really pay off with a 12th place. All the guys, including JJ, came in with the main pack, meaning Juanjo ended the race ranked 11th overall. Very good. Final GC:
After the conclusion of the race, sports director Gorka Gerrikagoitia had this to say: "The evaluation of our participation is very good. We came to the race without a marked leader and with the idea to go after stage-wins through breaks. This way, the eight riders all started free of responsibilities and with a chance to shine. We ere possibly the mist aggressive team overall, and that makes me content. Now we have to recover for Milan-San Remo, a race in which we'll be reinforced with Koldo Fernández de Larrea".
Every day's the same for Euskaltel in Tirreno: one gets away in a break, gets reeled in, and we're left with nothing. Today it was Rubén's turn again to give it a go. He got into a dangerous-looking break early on but, as anticipated, got caught near the finish. Amets saw this as an incentive to attack and duly did so. His attack five clicks from the line didn't stick though, but it was an honourable try nonetheless. The stage ended with a small climb, so again JJ was the team's best man, this time grabbing 19th, just 22 seconds down. Amets came home 25th, at 31, Iñaki 30th at 36, Rubén 50th at 1:52, Jorge 56th at 12:52, Alan 96th at the same time, while Pablo ended the day placed 130th, 17:25 back. These results mean JJ climbed to 11th overall, so well done to him.
After the stage, Samu had this to say: "Overall I'm pleased with the race. Overall we were five guys within 30 seconds of each other and I was one of them, so we have to see it that way. It was a very high level of competition this year and it was very hard to fight for the win. The one annoying thing though is that I missed out on the podium by 5 seconds. I was fourth yesterday (Saturday), and I was fourth in an amputated sprint today (Sunday). We fought for stage-wins, and we were close, but we didn't make it. Now I have to recover and train well so that I can go to the Vuelta al País Vasco in top form".
Juan José Oroz was at his aggressive best in yesterday's fifth stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico. After an earlier break of 11 had been caught, including Alan, JJ went it alone, attacking some 30 kilometres out. Eventual winner Gasparotto managed to bridge across, but the final climb with 1 click to go proved too hard for JJ, and he fell back. He eventually came in 12th, and occupies the same place overall. Amets came in 57 seconds back in 28th place, Alan was 44th at 1:57, Jorge 71st at 9:47, Iñaki 75ht at 10:31, Pablo 78th at 10:31 as well, while Rubén was 83th, a full 24:05 down. Overall standings:
After the stage, JJ had this to say to the media: "The first 60 kilometres went by the coast and we were practically flying. There were 1000 attack, and in every single one an Euskaltel rider was present. The team worked to the maximum all day. Finally a break of 11 got away, but the presence of Pinotti made it difficult. The Italian was close to Scarponi overall, and thus the break weren't given much leeway. But we got Alan into that break. We went really fast up the last climb of the day with 55 clicks to go. The pack split, Pinotti went it alone, and Scarponi crashed... It was crazy. With 30 clicks to go a group got away, and I was in it. I attacked and I went solo. When someone attacked again with 15 to go Gasparotto bridged up to me. We worked well together and arrived at the last incline with an advantage of 20 seconds. Perhaps on another type of terrain I would have had a better shot at it, but it was too step and I blew up. My legs were okay, but the unevenness made it hard. Gaparotto did better, and managed to stay with the favourites and win. As a team we're doing a remarkable race. Our performance should be valued. It's a very hard race, the stages are demanding and there's always some sort of surprise from the Italians. But despite all this we're in the break each day. I don't want to mention one of us in particular 'cause we're all doing well here. The other teams in the peloton recognise the work we're doing, and that says a lot about our attitude. There's two days to go, let's see if we can keep this up".
It was not a particularly good day for the team in today's penultimate stage of the Paris-Nice. It started off on the worst possible note when Gorka and Mikel both decided against starting the stage. Gorka is suffering from tendinitis, while Mikel had to pull out due to gastroenteritis. Not good. Romain got into the break of the day though, a big group containing 20 riders or something. He was surprisingly passive though, staying at the back the whole day and, when the pace was upped, went right out the back. Not good either. After that, Koldo decided to call it quits as well, leaving the team with only five riders. Two of them, Samu and Beñat, made it into the select group of riders after the last climb. Eventhough the stage was tailor-made for Samu, with a short, steep climb followed by a long descent into the finish, he decided against having a go. I found that very weird. A fifth place overall is not bad, but if you want to win you have to give it a go and risk something. A missed opportunity for sure. Eventually Samu came 4th, missing out on the bonus seconds as well and thus remains in 5th place overall ahead of tomorrow's last stage. But with his unwillingness to attack, I'm afraid we can't expect him to climb up a few places tomorrow. Anyway, both Samu and Beñat ended up in the front group, while Romain ended up 3:59 down in 51st place. Iván was 75th, 9:11 back, while Egoi was a lowly 116th, a full 18:32 back.
It was a rather uneventful day for the team in yesterday's third stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico. Despite being aggressive in the early parts of the stage they failed to get a rider into the main break of the day. Amets gave it a good go with 20 kilometres left, but was rather quickly reeled back in a few clicks later. Rubén, Alan, JJ and Iñaki came in with the main pack, but Alan dropped to 7th overall. Amets, smarting from his earlier effort, came in 19 seconds adrift, while Pablo and Jorge came in with a group 11:45 in arrears. Aitor Hernández sadly had to drop out due to severe pain in his left knee. I suspected something wasn't quite right with him given his bad ride yesterday, and this has now gotten an explanation. Gorka Gerrikagoitia, the sports director, was quite happy afterwards though: "The team showed great attitude at the start of the stage. We felt good earlier today, but we didn't manage to get one of our guys into the break. When only one was left up front Amets gave it a go, but Liquigas set a high pace and caught up with him. They won the stage and lead the overall, so they did very well. Now we have to recover and give it another go timorrow. The bad note of the day was Aitor's abandonment. He started the stage, but he was obviously in a lot of pain and we chose to take him out so as to not risk it getting worse."
Alan Pérez enjoyed a great day out in the Tirreno-Adriatico today. The 27-year-old got into the break of the day, snatched both intermediate sprints and, despite being reeled in with 3,5 kilometres to go, is now classified 5th overall in the race, mainly thanks to his accumulated bonus seconds. Elsewhere, all the other guys, except for Pablo and Aitor Hernández, came in with the main pack. Pablo ended up 2:25 down, while Aitor came in a massive 9:34 back. The race is probably way too hilly for Alan to keep his high overall placing, but still it's a big plus for him as well as the team. "We're satisfied with what we did today", he said after the stage. "We've been active and been protagonists, and that's important in a race of this calibre. The director told us before the race started to be on the attack and get into breaks, and so we did. We all tried to get away, but none of us were successful until I got away with Ignatiev and two others. We worked well together and built up a decent lead, though they never let us get too far ahead. I'm pretty well placed in the overall standings now, but I know there's a lot of hard stages to come. Our team car will be fifth in line tomorrow. That's a good thing, as that way we'll be closer and it'll be easier for our guys in the car to read the race."
Speaking after today's fourth stage of the Paris-Nice, Samu spoke of his appreciation of his team-mates' work: "It was a very fast stage. The cold was unbearable at times. The team was phenomenal! Mikel was in the break, and the rest of the guys looked out for me all the way to the bottom of the last climb. I did my best to win, but it was impossible. Contador was the strongest and all we can do is congratulate him. It's a bit annoying though that I'm just five seconds off being in the top 3. It'll be hard to finish on the podium. There are a lot of good riders here, and there's not room for them all on the podium. It looks difficult, but as long as there's life there's hope".
Euskaltel kept a (too) low profile in today's 3rd stage of Paris-Nice. None of the riders went on the attack, and Samu ended up losing another few precious seconds to Voigt and Contador. When the attacks went towards the end of the stage, Euskaltel were nowhere to be seen, something that must be considered disappointing considering the strength of the team in this race. Samu and Romain did quite well though, coming home with the main pack some 6 seconds down. Iván and Mikel ended up a disappointing 27 seconds down, while Egoi, Gorka and Beñat all look out of shape, the trio coming in 1:17 back, quite a big margin given the not-too-hilly profile of the stage. Koldo came in 2:26 back.
The Tirreno-Adriatico got underway today, and, unlike in Paris-Nice, the Euskaltel boys were on the attack. After Grabovskyy, the lone breakaway rider, had been reeled in, Pablo let fly with an attack 12 kilometres out. Strong-man Niki Terpstra from Milram bridged up but, despite the pair working well together, they were reeled in 5 clicks later. Rubén tried his best in the sprint and came home 15th. All the other riders came in with the main pack as well.
Koldo failed to mix it with the big boys in today's sprint finish to the second stage of the Paris-Nice. Koldo struggled (as usual) to find the right spot in the bunch leading up to the sprint, ending up too far behind with 500 metres to go. He rolled in to a disappointing 11th place, but will hope to better that tomorrow. Other than that it was a quiet day for the team. Everyone but Beñat came in with the main pack, the diminutive climber coming home 57 seconds back.
On a windy and crash-marred day in the Paris-Nice, Samu lost 17 seconds to Valverde, Sánchez and a number of other overall candidates. The infamous strong winds in the Loir Valley were out in full force today and, in a customary showing of a lack of smartness and knowhow, Euskaltel lost out big time. Caisse d'Epargne and Columbia set a furious pace at the head of the pack a number of times in the last 30 kilometres of the stage, and every time all Euskaltel riders got caught behind. Like they've done all the time the last few years. I don't know who to point the finger at, the directors or the riders? But what I do know is that it's high time Euskaltel, and by Euskaltel I mean all the riders and all the staff, sit down and talk tactics. It's not good enough, not nearly good enough, to always get caught out when the pack splits in the wind. It's not rocket science, it's pretty easy: stay at the front. That way you're less likely to end up at the back when stuff like this happens. But for them to stay at the front someone on the team has to learn how to read a race, and I'm afraid almost every Euskaltel rider and director has got some home-work to do. This might seem harsh, but it's time we got serious.
Just to make matters worse, Koldo and Iván both hit the deck today. But they got up and finished the stage though, so they should be ready to go by tomorrow. As for results, Koldo, Samu, Romain, Egoi and Gorka ended up 17 seconds back on the group containing Valverde, Sánchez, Joaquín Rodriguez, Boom, Voigt, Kolobnev, Roche, Tony Martin, Kreuziger, Miller and Ivanov. Iván, Mikel and Beñat ended up even further back, coming in a massive 7:12 down. Not good.
Samu did well to claim 10th in a tight prologue in Paris-Nice today. He only conceded 15 seconds to winner Lars Boom, and even fewer to overall candidates Luis León Sanchez, Contador and Leipheimer. Beñat also did very well to come home 25th, only 27 seconds back. That's better than Valverde, Coppel, Larsson and Vande Velde to name a few, so hats off to him. Romain did okay to claim 55th place, 36 seconds back, while Gorke ended up 69th, 41 seconds down. Koldo was 118th, at 57 seconds, Egoi a disappointing 154th, 1:17 back, Mikel was 160th at 1:19, and finally Iván ended up a distant 166th, 1:29 down. Not good overall, but with Samu, Beñat and Romain doing well, it was an okay start to the race for the team.
The Paris-Nice stage-race, or the Race to the Sun as it's affectionately known, will start today WITH Romain on the start-line. He's fully recovered from his calf problems, and will start the prologoue in Montfort-l'Amaury at 16:00 sharp.
Romain may not race the Paris-Nice stage-race after all due to injury. Initial reports suggested the Frenchman was suffering from tendinitis, but it turns out he's suffering from a spasm to his left calf. "It's nothing serious, but he has to be careful" was the words coming out of the Euskaltel camp. He's still hoping he can make it to the start on Sunday though, so all hope is not gone.
