Briefs

• "It´s been a very intense and emotional day", Alvaro González de Galdeano summed up after the conclusion of today´s fourth "stage". "The cycling family is in a state of shock after this fatal accident, so obviously it´s been a hard stage. At the end of the day the riders were tired psychologically after spending so many hours on the bike just thinking about it. Now we have to try to recover and move on. The world doesn´t stop and we have to face the challenges in front of us."
• Orbea DS Álex Díaz was generally happy with his team´s outing in the Vuelta a Madrid this past weekend, but he was especially impressed with two of his young charges. "Mikel Bizkarra was excellent", he proudly told the team´s website. "He´s adapted well to the level of competition. Noel Martín was also good. He was very strong on the last day and was in the front group a lot".
• Jorge Azanza and Pierre Cazaux both hit the ground on yesterday´s tragic third stage of the Giro, but, besides being battered and bruised, they´re both reported to be okay.