Remember Alpe d`Huez 2003? Yeah, thought you would. At YouTube there is a great 6 minute video of Iban`s biggest ever win. The music is great, and I`ve watched it a hundred times. Especially the moment Iban leaves everybody trailing in his wake, seeing the likes of Lance, Joseba Beloki and Hamilton not able to follow, is just awesome. Pure class from an unbelievable cyclist. Click and watch: http://youtube.com/watch?v=_87DLjfEaAw
The three sports-directors at Euskaltel, Jon Odriozola, Xavier Carbayeda and Gorka Gerrikagoitia, will face different tasks to previous years next season. Euskaltel have decided that each one of the directors shall be responsable for ten riders each. Odriozola will be responsable for the new-comers, among others Galparsoro, Astarloza, Bru, Azanza, Txurruka and Galdos Alonso. Carbayeda will take care of riders like Iriondo, Uribarri, Velasco, Apperibay and Lafuente, while Gerrikagoitia will take care of riders like Laiseka, Hernandez and Etxebarria. This model has been used to good effect at CSC, probably the best team in the world, and Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano decided to try to copy this.
In this Diario Vasco article, some of the rider`s calendars were also revealed. A group of 13 are already in training to be in particularly good condition at the beginning of the season. Among these are Bru, Galparsoro, Azanza, Aranaga and Hernandez. Samu Sanchez and Astarloza will peak for the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, while the Tour de France group will probably be made up of Haimar Zubeldia, Rubén Perez, Gorka Verdugo, Iñigo Landaluze, Iñaki Isasi, Mikel Astarloza and Igor Ánton. All riders will have their specified calendar until June. After that period, every rider`s program will be evaluated and plans will be made for the last half of 2007.
New Euskaltel-Euskadi director Jon Odriozola has given an interview to Basque sport`s daily El Correo, where he talks of his future plans for Euskaltel, his inspirations, his time with Gewiss-Ballan and much more. Click on the link to read; http://www.elcorreodigital.com/vizcaya/prensa/20061128/deportes/quiero-euskaltel-italiana_20061128.html
Four new neo-pros joined Euskaltel-Euskadi prior to the 2006 season. Each one of them have impressed, and here`s a look at how they coped with the Pro Tour:
Beñat Albizuri Aransolo rode for Euskaltel as a stagiaire in 2005, coming from Orbea, and then impressed sufficently to be given a contract. In 2005 he placed a brilliant second on the third stage of the Vuelta a la Rioja. Though not able to record any top, top placings this year, Beñat has showed a lot of promise, especially in the Giro d`Italia, where he figured in many breaks. Beñat completed the Giro, but his 144th place overall does not reflect his super performance. He also participated in Pro Tour races like the ENECO Tour, Milano-San Remo and Tirreno-Adriatico.Iban Iriondo Uranga came from the small team Olarra, and his first year was planned to be a transition year, where he was not supposed to peak for any special races. He was supposed to race when Euskaltel needed him to; and so he did. He didn`t record any results of note, but rode amongst others the Dauphiné Libéré and the Deutschland Tour. Next year, we will see more from this talented youngster.
Unai Uribarri Artabe joined from Orbea, and, like Iriondo, was used for the team`s greater good. Top results eluded him, but like Iriondo, Euskaltel expect more from him next year. Though failing to set alight the peloton, he still had an unforgettable year, riding races like Paris-Roubaix, ENECO, Ronde van Vlaanderen and the Eindhoven TTT.
Ruben Perez Moreno was definetely the most impressive of the four, showing his potential on several occasions. Also he from Orbea, Ruben recorded many impressive results. 4th on the fourth stage in the Vuelta a Murcia, 6th on stage 12 in the Vuelta a España and some top-ten placings in sprints were his most stand-out performances in 2006. I expect great things from Ruben next year....
This is the picture of all Euskaltel-Euskadi riders for the 2007 campaign, with the exception of Mr. Euskaltel, Roberto Laiseka, who is still recovering from several knee-operations. Also present when the picture was taken, was Miguel Madariaga, Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano, Jon Odriozola, Gorka Gerrikagoitia and Xavier Carbayeda. The picture was taken at the team`s meeting in Derio this week-end.
Euskaltel-Euskadi have always been a team of young riders; a team not frightened to give youth a chance. Therefore, Euskaltel have been monitoring the small Basque amateur teams, and have of course the deal with Professional Continental team Orbea. Here, promising young riders will be nurtured carefully before making the jump to the very elite; the Pro Tour. This deal has worked wonders for Euskaltel, and they have therefore agreed deals with another six amateur sub-23 teams. From now on, Sopelana, Debabarrena, Caja Rural, Alfus Tedes, Bidelan and Azpiru will have close contact with Euskaltel, and their most talented riders will hopefully join Orbea prior to joining Euskaltel. This move just goes to show how much Euskaltel mean to Basque cycling. They are giving everyone with a talent a chance to succeed, and are therefore a unique team in the world of cycling. Euskaltel`s youth policy is among the very best in the world. The work done by the people in charge of Fundacion Euskadi is just brilliant.
Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano, one of the Euskaltel heads, has given an interview to well-known Basque daily El Correo Digital. This interview I definetely think is worth a read, as he discusses much of next year`s calendar and when many of the riders will be trying to reach top-form. Click on the link: http://www.elcorreodigital.com/vizcaya/prensa/20061126/deportes/facil-ordenes_20061126.html
Like many other Euskaltel riders nowadays, the very likeable Dioni Galparsoro has given an interview to Spanish sport`s daily El Mundo Deportivo. Here, he talks about his objectives for next season, his year to forget, Euskaltel`s future prospects and so on. Click on the link, and enjoy: http://www.elmundodeportivo.es/20061126/NOTICIA238870020.html
In the El Mundo Deportivo you could read a small interview with Euskaltel directors Jon Odriozola and Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano some days ago. They mainly talk about their ambitions for next season, and for all of you that haven`t read it, here`s the link: http://www.elmundodeportivo.es/20061122/NOTICIA238855573.html. Enjoy!
From Sunday the 26th to Thursday the 30th of November, all Euskaltel-Euskadi riders and staff will meet up at the Hotel Laia de Derio, http://www.fundacioneuskadi.com/ reports. Derio is a medium-sized village in the Basque province of Viscaya, and here, the Euskaltel riders will train together, plan their calendars for the next campaign, hold press-conferences, get to know eachother and everything else that comes along with such a pre-season meeting. If you want to know the complete and detailed scedule for each single day, just click in to Euskaltel`s homepage, and you`ll find it.
According to Noticias de Gipuzkoa, several Basque cyclists are without a team for next season. Among the 16, 3 of them were released by Euskaltel this season. One of them is Josu Silloniz, the sprinter I reported had put an end to his career some days ago. Though, the Basque daily says nothing about retirement, but instead says that he`s injured. I guess the newspaper know this better than me, but I`ll let you know once I find out. Here´s the list of Basque professionals without a team for next year:
