Samu strong in San Sebastián

When your best isn't good enough and your name is Samuel Sánchez, all you can do is sit back and applaud the winner. And there was really ever going to be one winner. Exactly how you beat Phil Gilbert in a lumpy one-dayer is quickly becoming a mystery, but it certainly wasn't for the lack of trying on Samu's behalf today. Showing the aggressiveness and panache he rediscovered at the Tour, Samu set the race alight on the slopes of the Jaizkíbel more than once and looked the strongest of the pre-race favourites. Once caught, and with Gilbert up the road, he went close to catching the eventual winner with a last-ditch effort along with erstwhile team-mate (and still legend) Haimar Zubeldia. It wasn't to be though and Samu eventually had to settle for eighth, but it was a performance to be proud of nonetheless. Victory in San Sebastián keeps on eluding him but sooner or later he's bound to win it.

Team-wise it was also a good performance. Euskaltel took charge of affairs once the six-man move up the road got more than a sizable gap and spent long hours at the head of the pack. Once Samu was unleashed they were nowhere to be seen though, but that's to be expected when you've been forced to do the dirty work for so long. Izagirre was 51st at 6:33, while R Pérez was 62nd and Landa 70th, both at 9:08.