Naturgas 2nd and 3rd in Soraluze

Naturgas youngsters Igor Merino and Fernando Grijalba went oh so close to securing the team a first win of the season in today's Torneo sub-23 opener in Soraluze. The 118km race ended atop the San Andrés climb and, after attacking along with the Naturgas pair on the steep slopes, Omar Fraile of Seguros Bilbao claimed the win. Fraile distanced the two red-clad riders inside the last two kilometres, eventually finishing 10 seconds ahead of Merino and 21 ahead of Grijalba in third. Superb team performance, and I guess at this stage of their careers that's more important than the results.