Iban chilling in the pack

Iban came in as expected with the peloton today. He crossed the line in 73rd position, on the same time as the rest of the peloton. During the stage, Iban was mostly seen chilling among the 30 first riders in the pack, just eating, drinking and getting race kilometres into his legs. He looked comfortable, and I can`t wait to see Iban on the first real mountain-stages of this years race. Aupa!

Hernández 12th

Aitor Hernández sprinted to 6th place in the final mass-sprint, resulting in a nice 12th place on todays 6th stage of the Giro d`Italia. Six riders crossed the line ahead of the peloton, so the pack would have to sprint for 7th. Aitor, Markel Irizar and Beñat Albizuri were seen at the very front of the field inside the last kilometres, where Markel and Beñat did their best to set up Aitor for the sprint. Aitor got 12th place, while Markel and Beñat got 22nd and 24th respectively. All but Antton Luengo and Koldo Fernández, who both came in 17:41 down, came in with the pack. I had hoped to see one or two of the riders in the break today, as the undulating terrain would have suited them well. Though, there`s another chance tomorrow, so look out for Koldo and his end-speed then.

Euskaltel for the Volta

Euskaltel will field the following 8 riders for the up-coming Volta a Catalunya Pro Tour stage-race which runs from May the 21st to the 27th: Samuel Sánchez, Aitor Galdos, Amets Txurruka, Unai Etxebarria, Andoni Aranaga, Jon Bru, Andoni Lafuente and Juanjo Oroz. This powerful-looking outfit will be chasing glory on stages as well as overall, and will be directed by Gorka Gerrikagoitia.

Haimar 18th in Portugal

Todays second stage of the Portuguese stage-race Paredes Rota dos Moveis came down to a mass-sprint, just like yesterday. None of the Euskaltel riders were able to fight for the win, but Haimar Zubeldia came home 18th. Everyone but Unai Uribarri and Lander Aperribay, who came in 18 and 20 seconds down respectively, came in with the pack. On GC, Rubén Pérez is 9th at 7 seconds, while Haimar, Igor Antón, Iban Mayoz and Iban Iriondo all are 10 seconds down. Tomorrow is the queen-stage of the four-day race, and Igor and Haimar in particular will try to conquer the stage as well as the overall.

No problems for Iban

As was expected, Iban came in with the peloton today without having any troubles. Iban could be seen chilling out in the middle of the pack for the majority of the stage, and eventually crossed the line in 70th place, on the same time as the winner. Tomorrow will see the peloton tackle some mountains on a medium-hilly stage, but don`t expect Iban to be at the front. Expect him to roll in with the front group, probably close to team-mates Ricco, Simoni and Piepoli.

Koldo close

Koldo Fernández managed to mix it with the big-boys in the sprint today, but because of the difficult final km, wasn`t able to figth for the win. It all looked promising inside the last 10 km, with Koldo being close to McEwen and Petacchi all the time. And with 2 km to go, Aitor Hernández and Beñat Albizuri did tremendous work to bring him in position. Though, as the roads were narrow and twisty, Koldo never really found his position, as was the case with most sprinters today, and had to settle for a 13th place. Aitor Hernández grabbed 18th, while Dioni Galparsoro got a 25th place. All Euskaltel riders came in with the pack, and with Koldo now finding his feet, we Euskaltel fans have a lot to look forward to the coming days.

Pérez in the break in Portugal

Rubén Pérez once again showed that his form is good in the Portuguese stage-race GP Internacional Paredes Rota dos Móveis today. Rubén was a member of today`s main break, a break that at one point had more than five minutes on the peloton. It looked as though the break would succeed for a while, as with less than 10 km to go, they still held a one minute lead. Though, it wasn`t to be, and a mass-sprint was set up. Every Euskaltel rider came in with the peloton, but none got any noteworthy results. But on the positive side, Rubén gathered several bonus seconds through intermediate sprints, and as a consequence lies a pretty 6th overall after the first stage.

Iban brilliant

Iban rode surprisingly well in the Giro today. The peloton encountered the first summit-finish, and Iban came in only 34 seconds adrift. Yesterday I predicted that he would come in 8:34 from the winner, so I guess he`s in better shape than I thought he would be so early on. Iban could be seen several times riding close to the front, and in the end grabbed a moral-boosting 32nd spot. If it`s true what Iban has been saying the last days, about his need for more racing before getting competitive, we have something to look forward to the coming weeks...

Irizar in the break; Dioni on the attack

Euskaltel had a good day in today`s Giro stage. The first mountain-top finish saw several riders record promising placings, while Markel Irizar gave Euskaltel protagonisme. Markel was part of a three-man break that stayed away for most of the stage, being reeled in with only 8 km left. When Markel was finished, Dioni Galparsoro showed what his form is like by attacking on the last ascent. Sadly, the break he initiated didn`t succeed, and was brought back with 3 km to go. Anyway, he came in only 34 seconds back, and several other Euskaltel riders came in close to victor Di Luca. Here are the results of the stage:

• 23rd, Dioni Galparsoro, 0:34
• 42nd, Aitor Hernández, 1:02
• 54th, Iván Velasco, 1:41
• 64th, Aketza Peña, 2:02
• 91st, Antton Luengo, 4:23
• 102nd, Beñat Albizuri, 7:10
• 104th, Markel Irizar, 7.10
• 124th, Joseba Zubeldia, 11:06
• 166th, Koldo Fernández, 14:02
  

First test for Iban

The first real mountain-stage is on the menu for the Giro-peloton tomorrow, and that means the first real test for Iban. What kind of form is he in? Will he be able to stay with the best? Will he be sacrificing himself for Simoni? Some of those questions will no doubt be answered come the finish of the stage. Though, Iban has played down his chances ahead of the stage, stating "it`s too early for me, I need more time to get used to the tempo after such a long break. I will for sure not be seen among the front-runners on that stage". We should really trust Iban, as he tends to know what he`s talking about. But, will he just chill out at the back for the entirety of the stage? I`d say no. I think he`ll be working at the front for Simoni at the early stages of the last climb tomorrow. Iban will probably, together with perhaps fellow Spaniard, and for sure the rider with the coolest name in the peloton, "Litu" Gomez Gomez, set a high tempo at the start, before Italians Piepoli and Ricco take over the responsability. Iban will likely burn all his matches early on, and will probably drift further and further backwards until reaching the summit. I`d say a top-50 place on the stage is a realistic predicition, but, hey, what do I know, these are just my thoughts. I also think we Iban fans should be pleased if Iban grabs something like a top-50 spot on the stage, as he`ll surely just get better and better as the race unfolds. But, don`t exclude the possibility of Iban coming up with a top, top result tomorrow either. Maybe he was just kidding with all that lack-of-racing-in-my-legs talk, and maybe he`ll win. Er, this is just turning out to be the most messy post ever posted here, as I just realised predicting Iban`s performances are just a waste of time. The thing with Iban is; he`s unpredictable, and that`s what makes him so special and what makes him stand out from the rest. Though, I can`t just post this without a conclusion. My final prediction is that he`ll place 39th on the stage, at 8:34 from the winner. Or, perhaps, no, forget it. 39th, at 8:34, that`s my bet.

Oroz unveiled

Euskaltel`s new signing, Juan José Oroz, was as scheduled presented to the public today. The 26-year-old, with the company of Fundacion Ciclista Euskadi head Miguel Madariaga, sports director at Orbea, Alvaro Gonzalez de Galdeano, together with two representatives from Orbea, Joseba Arizaga and Alex Lopez de Sosoaga, showed himself for the first time in an Euskaltel shirt, and spoke of his move from Orbea to the Pro Tour and Euskaltel. Here`s what the new aquisition said: "My dream has come true. It`s my home-team, it`s on the highest level, the Pro Tour, and for me this was always the goal. Now that I have the possibility to ride for the team, I will give it my all, as my desire to make it here is huge". He also talked of his injury, the Orbea team and what type of rider he is: "I`m over it (the injury), and thanks to Orbea I`ve been able to enjoy myself on the bike again, and now I`m with Euskaltel. I see myself as quite a complete rider. Now that I`ve gone up a level, I`ll have to adapt, but I`ll always try to be stable and to show that I`m a complete rider. We`ll see where that takes me". After Juanjo had done most of the talking, Alvaro spoke of him as a true prefessional, and that Juanjo represents all what Orbea stand for. Go to www.fundacioneuskadi.com for the full "speech".

Poll results: Will Iban come back to Euskaltel in the future?

The poll I recently ran was titled "Will Iban come back to Euskaltel in the future?". I was eager to find out what you readers thought, as Iban returning is one of my biggest wishes. I`m still dreaming of seeing Iban back in the familiar orange of Euskaltel, and I still believe it, though I seem to represent a minority. 62 % voted "No", while the remaining 38 % of course voted "Yes". You might be right, he may not return, but I do think we all want him to...

Iban still cruising

It was a largely uneventful day for Iban today in the Giro. Iban was not at the front, neither at the back, and came in with the pack without any kind of trouble. In the end he placed 106th, and still lies 45th overall.

Koldo once again unlucky

Luck is certainly not on either Euskaltel`s or Koldo Fernández`s side at the moment. Just like yesterday, Joseba Zubeldia and Markel Irizar worked hard at the front to bring the escapees back. They succeeded, but when it came to the final dash to the line, Koldo didn`t. With 1 km to, it all looked perfect. Koldo had Robbie McEwen`s wheel, and with 500 metres to go, he was still rigth up there with the best. Then it happended. My fellow Norwegian Thor Hushovd somehow fell, and with him several riders. Koldo just escaped the crash, like yesterday, but his shoe got unclipped and he nearly came to a full stop, and then it was of course game over for him. Dioni Galparsoro got 20th, while Iván Velasco got 22nd. In the end Koldo got 29th, one better than yesterday. All but Antton Luengo, who is still suffering from injuries due to his crash in the TTT on Sunday, came in with the peloton. Antton came in 14:22 adrift, so the first day of rest will no doubt do him good.