Euskaltel set for weekend racing

The sprinter-friendly WorldTour-ranked Vattenfall Cyclassics will be held this Sunday and naturally Euskaltel are obliged to send a team. Koldo Fernández will unsurprisingly lead the charge and will be ably assisted by A and R Pérez, Velasco, Sesma, Urtasun, G Izagirre and Aramendía, reports the team's own website. Though Koldo will no doubt be the team's go-to guy, expect to see Gorka Izagirre in a late-race move. The elder of the brothers showed strong form in ENECO and the course should suit him. The youngest of the Galdeanos will lead the shots from the car.

The same day seven riders will represent the team at French Cup race Châteauroux Classic de l'Indre Trophée Fenioux (or simply the Classic de l'Indre). The one-day race will mark the return to competition for Romain Sicard after almost five months of the sidelines. The precocious Hazparren native will be joined by a host of young guns, namely Bilbao, Castroviejo, J Izagirre, Landa and Mínguez, and veteran Astarloza. Josu Larrazabal will direct the team.