Ilundain might go amateur

Mikel Ilundain is not ready to give up on his cycling career just yet and might go back to ride as an amateur, writes el Diario de Navarra. The rider was let go by Orbea this year after struggling to make an impression during his two-year spell with Euskaltel's feeder-team, but has reportedly made contact with amateur teams Lizarte and Azysa and might get a ride there in a bid to reignite his stuttering career. To his credit, Ilundain spoke fondly of his team at Orbea and did not criticize the team management for not retaining him after he was told there was no place for him on the team, but speaking to the Diario de Navarra yesterday his tack had somewhat changed. "What's strange is that I am the only one on the team whose contract wasn't prolonged", he argued. "I have no bad words for the team; after all they gave me a big chance to make it. There are several riders stronger than me on the team, but there are also those who are not and they get to stay." Anyway, he seems destined to either return to the amateur circuit or finishing his engineering studies.