Camp update

After completing the planned group rides on Tuesday and Wednesday, which consisted of roughly 120 clicks, the Euskaltel riders were forced to give in to the bad weather on the Costa Blanca on Thursday and reduce the number of kilometres. It wasn't a total waste, though, as the two groups, divided by the intensity of training needed to reach their early- or late-season goals respectively, still got a reasonable amount of training in. The first group, which is planning to peak for Paris-Nice and the Vuelta al País Vasco, consisted of, among others, Samu Sánchez, Gorka Verdugo, Romain Sicard and Egioi Martínez, and the second group, aiming for a peak in form come May and the Giro, was made up of the likes of Igor Antón, Mikel Nieve, JJ Oroz and Jonathan Castroviejo. Amets Txurruka was originally going to ride with that first group but, due to the fall in training he undertook here the other day and the resulting pain in his left knee, he opted for an easier ride on the rollers as a precautionary measure. The Down Under-riders are taking it easy these first days of the camp before hopefully being competitive at the Mallorca Challenge early next month. Weather permitting, the riders will, like they did on Wednesday, complete an intense 150km ride today.