Euskaltel aim big in farewell race

Euskaltel have selected a team high on quality and versatility for their last ever competitive appearance.

The Tour of Beijing, running from 11-15 of October, will mark the end of 20 years of cycling history - and the team is unsurprisingly looking to go out with a bang.

The Euskaltel octet will be spearheaded by the speedy legs of Juan José Lobato and ever-potent ace climber Mikel Landa in the last WorldTour race of the year.

Accompanying them will be super domestique Gorka Verdugo, veteran allrounders Pablo Urtasun and Juan José Oroz, young duo Garikoitz Bravo and Ricardo García, and the soon-to-be-retired Mikel Astarloza.

The latter announced last week that he'll put the bike away for good once the Tour of Beijing - and the season with it - concludes, and the Pasajes native was naturally a bit emotional upon boarding the plane to Asia.

"It's a shame that Euskaltel's 20-year history will come to nothing", he told Spanish sports daily AS from the airport in Bilbao. "It's a sad feeling".

Come the end of the race, Astarloza - like many of his team-mates - will be forced to look for a new life beyond Euskaltel and the world of cycling.

Photo: Iñaki Azanza