Bizkarra fifth in Sub-23 road race

Naturgas strong-man Mikel Bizkarra made it into the decisive five-man break in the Spanish Sub-23 Road Race Championships yesterday, but unfortunately couldn't pull off the win. Inexplicably, the normally-fast Mikel ended up last in that five-man group to take a slightly disappointing fifht place. Make no mistake though, getting fifth in the Sub-23Road Race is no mean feat, there are loads of top-quality talent there. But it's always disappointing to come so close and then mess it up. But still, as said, great performance. Pello Bilbao made it in with the main pack in 27th place, just eight seconds down, while Igor Merino was also in that group taking 49th. Aitor Ocampos, likely feeling the strain of the Baby Giro still, struggled and crossed the line a full 13:45 down. The other riders of the 'Vasca' team didn't fare as well as the Naturgas guys. Unai Iparragirre, the designated fast-man for an eventual sprint finish, grabbed ninth place, so that's clearly a great result. Ibai Salas came in alongside Pello and Igor, while Aritz Orbe ended up dead last at 22:03.