Aitor Osa to Euskaltel?

After the announcement of the retirement of Roberto Laiseka, Euskaltel have now got one empty spot on the roster. According to UCI regulations, each team can have 30 riders maximum, and now that Roberto won`t be riding any more, Euskaltel have 29. Aitor Osa Eizaguirre is said, according to the Diario Vasco, to be a possibility for the vacant spot. Though, there is one tiny little problem. Aitor, who`s in fact been with Euskaltel earlier, from 1994 to 1996, is implicated in the delicate never-ending saga that is Operacion Puerto. Though, Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano do not deny the fact that Aitor would be a possibility if he was cleared of all charges in the case. Madariaga`s relationship with Aitor is also said to be great, as they parted ways in ´96 on good terms. Aitor last year rode for the now defunct Liberty Seguros team, and would no doubt be a major signing. Aitor`s won races like the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, a stage in the same race, the mountains jersey in the Vuelta a España, stages in the Volta a Portugal and the Vuelta a la Rioja, along with an impressive second in the 2003 edition of the Fleche Wallonne. A marvellous rider I would love to see at Euskaltel; but, he`s got to clear his name first.

Igor, Samu and Haimar back home

The three Euskaltel stars Igor Antón, Haimar Zubeldia and Samu Sanchez today returned home after their tests in the wind-tunnel in San Diego. They landed earlier today at the Loiu airport. All three will participate in the training-camp in Alicante which starts on the 13th of January.

Alicante training camp

The entire Euskaltel team will have a pre-season training-camp from the 13th of January to the 21st on Alfas del Pí, Alicante. The team will train from two to six hours a day, trying to hone their form for the February season-openers.

The Diputación de Bizkaia prolongs with Euskaltel

The Diputación de Bizkaia has renewed it`s sponsorship with Euskaltel for another two years. The deal will give Euskaltel a million euros a year, something which will prove pivotal in the continuity of the team. The news emerged yesterday, but was overshadowed by the retirement of Euskaltel-great Roberto Laiseka.

Roberto Laiseka retires

One of the all-time greatest Basque climbers and Euskaltel favourite Roberto Laiseka, has retired from international cycling. The sad news was made public today, though many probably saw it coming. The 37-year-old Roberto injured his knee badly in the last Giro, something that cut short his season. Roberto worked hard all last year to return to racing with his beloved Euskaltel, but in the end obviously saw that a return to former glories was improbable.

Roberto turned pro in 1994 with Euskaltel, the smae year the team was established. Roberto has, unbelievable, stayed with Euskaltel ever since, and has brought Euskaltel success and recognition. On his palmarès you can read one stage-win in the Tour de France and three stage-wins in the Vuelta a España. Roberto, we`ll miss you. But your stage win on Luz Ardiden will always stay with us.

Igor, Samu and Haimar making improvement

Igor Antón, Samu Sanchez and Haimar Zubeldia are now working on their TT skills in the San Diego wind-tunnel. The three have worked 4 hours a day each for the last two days, and according to http://www.fundacioneuskadi.com/, they are improving considerably. They`ve been adjusting their position on the bike, tried out new gear, helmets and so on. It`ll be exciting to see wether they`ve improved come the new season. I`m especially hoping that Haimar can return to his former self in TTs. They all showed promising signs in TTs last year, so I expect great things from all of them.

Iban in yellow

Here`s some pics of the still unfamiliar sight of Iban in a Saunier Duval jersey:

Euskaltel awards 2006

• Best rider: Samuel Sanchez


• Most-improved rider: Igor Antón


• Best climber: Haimar Zubeldia


• Best sprinter: Koldo Fernandez


• Best TTer: Samuel Sanchez


• Most inconsistent rider: Iban Mayo


• Best GT rider: Haimar Zubeldia


• Best classic rider: Samuel Sanchez


• Most hard-working: Iñaki Isasi


• Best "breakawayer": Iñigo Landaluze


• Most unlucky: Roberto Laiseka


• Most consistent rider: Haimar Zubeldia

Iban: a pure climber

The days of Federico Bahamontes, Charly Gaul, Lucien Van Impe, Chaba Jimenez, Marco Pantani, just to name a few, were the days of the pure climbers. The riders that could take you out of your seat with their stunning accelerations over and over again, the riders that would win on any mountain top, the riders that made cycling such an incredible sport to watch. Now, well into the 21st century, I start to wonder where they`ve all gone.

A "pure climber" needs to have all the qualities mentioned above, as well as not being too good on the flats or on the small hills. There used to be many more of them earlier, but in the last 10 years the number has steadily decreased. Now, there`s only a handful of them left in the peloton I reckon. Leonardo Piepoli of Saunier, Michael Rasmussen of Rabobank, José Rujano of Unibet, Gilberto Simoni of Saunier, and in my opinion, our very own Iban Mayo. These are the riders capable of producing the most stunning performances in the mountains. These are the riders that make cycling such a spectacle when a race reaches the mountains. But why don`t they shine as often as the previous climbers did? After all, Rasmussen, Piepoli, Simoni, Rujano and Iban don`t win 10 races a year; only a couple in fact. There are numerous reasons for this as I see it; doping has brought the sprinters, rouleurs and TTists closer to the mountain goats. Fewer mountain fests in the GTs than ever must certainly be taken into consideration. But probably the biggest reason is that the overall contenders in GTs have got an entire team to ride for them, so that the speed on the flats are much higher than they used to be, something that makes the climbers much more exhausted than the overall contenders come the mountains. This weren`t the case in the 80s or early 90s, when the climbers excelled and took the spectators by storm. Cycling has become much more of a tactical game than a the-strongest-man-wins game. That`s a shame, as there`s not many more beautiful sights than seeing Iban, Leonardo, Gilberto and the rest dancing their way up a steep ascent, hoping to one day touch the sky.

New Euskaltel logo

This is the new-look Euskaltel logo, for those of you who haven`t seen it. Nice-looking, don`t you think?

Iban did the right thing

According to 68% of the voters on the poll titled "From Euskaltel to Saunier; smart move?", Iban did the smartest thing. The controversial move to Saunier has caused a lot of debate in the cycling world, but apparently you Iban Mayo Blog readers thought moving to pastures new was wise. 68% voted "yes", while 32% voted "no".

Iban interview

On the brilliant cycling page Ainara Photo, you can read an interview with Iban. He talks of his move from Euskaltel, next year`s calendar, his ambitions etc. Click and read: http://www.ainaraphoto.com/entrevistas/entrevista_9.htm

Wind-tunnel testing for Iban

Iban will, like Igor, Samu and Haimar, probably head over to the States for wind-tunnel testing in late February, reports Diario Vasco. Saunier Duval head "Matxin" wants Iban and David Millar to improve against the clock, something that wouldn`t be a too bad idea, as the "race of truth" has always been Iban`s nemesis. San Diego is the likely destination.

Igor, Samu and Haimar head for San Diego

Euskaltel riders Igor Antón, Samuel Sánchez and Haimar Zubeldia will as planned head for wind-tunnel testing in San Diego on Saturday the 6th of January. The trip to San Diego was originally scheduled for early December 2006, but had to be postponed. Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano, Orbea techician Iñaki Argote and Euskaltel technician Tomás Amezaga will accompany the tree riders who will look to improve their qualities against the clock.