Briefs

• Euskaltel will pull the curtains down on the 2011 season with their annual end-of-season party on Sunday in Derio: the 'Fiesta de la Bici'. This 'Celebration of the bike'-event contains all the usual stuff: autograph-sessions, photo-sessions and fun rides. Plus pretty much every single Euskaltel, Orbea and Naturgas rider will be present. The event is, according to the team's website, aimed at "promoting the bike as a means of transport and source of joy".
• Samuel Sánchez spent yesterday afternoon in the company of recent Vuelta-winner Juanjo Cobo and former runner-up in the same race Santiago Pérez at a children's school in Oviedo, the capital of Samu's home region of Asturias. The trio answered numerous questions from the hordes of children queueing up to catch a glimpse of their heroes, to one which Samu answered: "My aim is to finish on the podium in the Tour. Winning it will be hard - but not impossible". Cue raucous applause, writes El Comercio.
• Being a professional cyclist isn't all about busting your ass six hours a day and living like a monk for the remaining 18 apparently. Samu, Nieve, Landa and co. will spent this coming Monday wine-tasting (or sort of anyway), writes www.fundacioneuskadi.com. The Euskaltel stars will head to winemaking team sponsor ABRA's headquarters to get an idea of how the wine's produced and all that. ABRA have sponsored the team since 2008, and visiting one the company's wineries post-season is quickly becoming a tradition.