Antón disappointed with Giro finish

While there's no denying the Giro has been a major success for Antón and Euskaltel alike, there's still this nagging feeling of what could have been after Igor Antón faded spectacularly from podium contention in the last week. Now sitting in 18th overall ahead of the concluding time trial in Milano, Antón was both happy and slightly disappointed when he talked to El Correo after his travails on the road to Sestriere yesterday. "I didn't expect to stay with the best today", he said bluntly. "Towards the end of this Giro I've been feeling more and more tired. The stage seemed to last forever and I didn't do too well. But I'm happy with my win at the Zoncolan. Very happy". Despite occupying third after his Zoncolan exploits, and being a single second from second, it seems the climber had more modest expectations than what might have been the case among his fans. "I was dreaming of a top 10 finish. After winning on the Zoncolan I thought that would be possible. But sometimes you just don't have the legs. On Friday's stage to Macugnaga I had to take my foot off the gas, and because of that I had the chance to help Mikel Nieve on the stage to Sestriere. I'll leave the Giro very tired but very happy. I think the team have every right to be pleased. We've taken two wins. It's historic. I've showed that I can beat the best, that being Contador. That gives me great confidence. But I also see that there are things to improve on. Perhaps I was too fit in Castilla y León and in the Belgian classics. I also got sick before the start of the Giro... Details like these always factor, but I've got no excuses. Yeah, I would have liked to finish the Giro better". The team has obviously done a good job in protecting leaders Antón and Nieve throughout, and Antón reserved special praise for yesterday's man in the break, Miguel Mínguez. "The good thing was that Miguel could help Mikel when I couldn't hold the pace anymore. He's a 22-year-old rider and he rode like a true champ".