No updates for two weeks

I'll have to leave you all for almost two weeks I'm afraid, as I'm heading of to Prague and San Sebastián tonight. I'll be gone 'till the 13th of October, so updates will be far and few between until then. Though, if Iban's B-sample returns I'll try to find an internet café or something, but I'm afraid we'll have to wait a little while longer to find out the result of the counter-analysis. Until the 13th, take care.

Samu 7th in Worlds

Samu performed up to his best to claim a brilliant 7th in the road world championships in Stuttgart today. Unai also showed that he's still go it at the tender age of 34 and came home with the rather small main pack 49 seconds down on winner Bettini.

Samu was one of thirteen riders who managed to break clear on the last lap, but Bettini, Kolobnev, Schumacher, Schleck and Evans got away. Rebellin escaped the second group to snatch 6th, while Samu easily won the sprint for 7th to record another highly impressing result in the Worlds. He was obviously Spain's strongest riders, so one could question Antequera's tactics. Valverde was clearly not in shape, as I thought, and Freire couldn't follow Samu and the gang up the last climb. But anyway, great ride by Samu. He's still got some wins in store for us this fall I feel.

Unai was seen a lot at the head of the main pack all day. His Euskaltel cap and Euskaltel helmet left no one wondering what team this man is riding for, and it's always great to see the team represented at the Worlds. Unai was the only one from Venezuela to complete the race, and did so with a great ride. Unai came in with the 35-man strong main group, only 49 seconds down, to record an honourable 39th. So, all in all, great performance from him too.

Haimar wins in Ormaetxea's name

Haimar won his first race in seven years as he claimed the overall win in the Memorial Jokin Ormaetxea circuit race. The race was held to pay tribute to the Basque rider who sadly passed away in a car accident back in 2004. The race brought all the best Basque cyclists together, with Haimar ending up as the winner. Haimar was second in both the points and the elimination race, and therefore claimed top honours ahead of Arreitunandia and Garate. In the team time trial a team consisting of three Euskaltel riders, Igor, Koldo and Beñat, together with Gaizka Lasa, Iker Leonet, Jon Garate and youngster Sudupe snatched the win ahead of an all-Euskaltel line-up including Haimar, Joseba, Markel, Lander, Mayoz and Iriondo. The race was of course not sanctioned as an UCI event, but nonetheless wins are important.

Samu and Unai ready for Worlds

Euskaltel will have two representatives on the startline in Stuttgart today. Samu will of course line-up as one of the favourites for Spain, while Unai will be one out of three Venezuelans at the Worlds.

Samu is mine and many others' favourite to take gold on the not-so-hilly-as-people-think-it-is course. Samu is at the moment probably the best in the world, and I mean that, so I'll get made if Samu will have to sacrifice himself for Valverde on Antequera's orders. Surely Samu's in better shape than Valverde. In addition it's been difficult to concentrate on training these last few weeks for Alejandro, as his mind has probably been elsewhere due to the fight against the UCI. Freire is an obvious candidate to take his fourth Worlds, so Samu may have his work cut out for him. But no matter whether he'll be able to race his own race or if he'll act as super-domestique he'll do a brilliant race I'm sure. I'm not going to get too carried away, but I can't stop thinking how good the Worlds-jersey would look on an Euskaltel rider.

Unai is as mentioned one of three Venezuelans, so logically it'll be difficult for him. He'll start as their captain though, so hopefully Quintero and Hernandez will help Unai out if needed. I don't expect him to be able to fight for the win or anything like that, but it would be nice to see him in an early brake. The Worlds will be one of Unai's last races ever, so I hope we'll get to see him in the thick of it. Aupa Unai!

It's been a while

2 months and 6 days have passed since Iban failed an EPO test in the Tour. That's exactly 69 days! Well, if I've done my homework that is. Anyway, it's been a while; surely it must be a new world-record. And the scary thing is that I think this might go on for a little while longer. My prediction is that Iban's B-sample will be sent to France again, before heading back to Australia and taking a detour to China. In China it will stay for two years, until the UCI remembers that, of course, there are no laboratories in China. Therefore they'll send it to the United States, who'll in turn send it to Peru as the they didn't have the time to conduct such a test. Though, the plane the test was on crashed, so the test is lost forever. So in 2027, we still don't know a thing. Anyone arguing? Nah, thought so...

Iban's new gear

Iban did naturally not wear his Saunier Duval kit when he rode his own Cicloturista race approximately 2 weeks ago. Iban was wearing the official Iban Mayo Lagunartea jersey and shorts, a new elegant line of cycling cloths "made" by his fan club. It's an elegant kit, all blue with the fan club's symbol and the Basque flag on it. Looks really nice and comfy. If it's possible for everyday people who're not members of his fan club to buy, then for sure I'm getting myself one. Here's how it looks, modelled by Iban himself.

Poll results: What happened to Iban's B-sample?

That's a good question, eh? I put up this poll several weeks ago, and to this day there is still no news. I gave you readers 5 options; some serious, some not so much. The most popular option was "It's negative", which amassed 33 % of the votes in fact. Number two was "The sample got messed up" which accumulated 24 %. "Someone stole it", which was one of the not so serious suggestions, ended up third, nicely reflecting what people think of this whole saga. "The laboratory does, in fact, not exist" followed in fourth, while astonishingly "It's positive" ended up dead last. I know I'm repeating myself, but only time will tell. Perhaps we'll know the result of the counter-analysis by 2009; that would be great.

Saunier Duval's new image

I couldn't believe it when I read Saunier had terminated Iban's contract. How can they just fire a rider without a B-sample to back up the positive A-sample? It doesn't make sense, but then Saunier Duval never really did either. To me it seems they're jumping on the chance to send out an anti-doping signal to the world, something they've never done before. I read they also got rid of Koldo Gil, a Basque climber implicated in the Operacion Puerto. Or not. Who knows whether Koldo is implicated or not? But one thing we do know is that Saunier Duval defended him all year long, claiming he didn't have anything to do with Fuentes' business and started him in several races. But then, when his contract was up for renewal, he was suddenly a persona non grata because of his links to the scandal. This doesn't make sense! And neither does Iban's case. As Iban's test has been sent to a THIRD laboratory, the first two laboratories certainly didn't return straight-forward positives. But then, after supporting Iban and stating that they would wait for the return of the counter-analysis to judge him, he's suddenly fired. What's going on over in Cantabria? Someone's trying to wash their hands clean if you ask me...

Vuelta round-up

Here's my asessment of each rider's Vuelta a España performance:

• Igor Antón: Brilliant. Back to his best after suffering from fatigue at the Tour. Climbed brilliantly, and also time-trialled quite well this time around. Showed he's a team-player and not a big-head by sacrficing his own ambitions for the team's and Samu's greater good. Lovely spirit and never-say-die attitude with the 24-year-old. Finished 8th overall, which is an outstanding performance considering his role as Samu's lieutenant and his less-than-perfect lead-up to the race.
• Koldo Fernández: Showed that he's got the end-speed necessary to beat the very best. Came agonisingly close with his second place, and bagged several top 10 finishes all the way to Madrid. This guy has got some potential, and he's got a bright future as he's still rather young. His placing in the bunch leading up to the sprints leaves a lot to be desired though.
• Aitor Hernández: Valuable member of the team, and proved the directors right to include him. Suffered in the first week it seemed, but got better as the stages went by. Showed glimpses of his climbing potential and pulled off a good ITT on the penultimate day. His consistency though seems to have room for improvement. I had also hoped for a better GC placing. A 81st place overall does not do his talent justice. Fulfilled his team duties though, so thumbs up for Aitor.
• Dioni Galparsoro: Great overall performance. Infiltrated in several breaks to help the team out, pulled hard on the front of the pack when needed, and showed he's a climber in the making with some solid results in the mountains. Couldn't have asked for more, something his contract extension is a proof of. His work was highly appreciated by his team-mates, and he got to show what a quality rider he is.
• Iñaki Isasi: Worked for Koldo in the sprints and for Samu on the hilly and mountainous stages. Did an awesome job dragging the peloton along on the flats when needed, and brought as usual much experience to a rather young line-up. Good performance, but not great.
• Iñigo Landaluze: Expected to see him in some breaks, but that didn't happen for one reason or another. Showed strength on the flats when on the front and, considering he recently did the Tour and has had a long season, he more than did his job.
• Alán Pérez: Just like Aitor prooved Miguel and Igor right to give him his first outing in a Grand Tour. Looked lively early on in the race, and was Koldo's main helper in the sprints. Looks like a solid rider who'll probably win a race or two next year due to his end-speed. I'm more than pleased with his ride.
• Samuel Sánchez: 3rd place overall is just astonishing. Three stage-wins even more so. Absolutely a class act on all terrains. Could well turn out to be the winner in Stuttgart on Sunday. Though, if he's to win a Grand Tour one day, he'll have to have his form spot on right from the gun. Just like in previous years he needed some time to get going, but once he did, he took my breath away. What a rider Euskaltel have got on their hands.
• Haimar Zubeldia: Did surprisingly well considering his bad tumble on the third stage. That looked nasty, and I doubted at the time that he'd come though all three weeks. He even made it into a couple of breaks. Finished 42dn overall, but if it hadn't been for the crash, I think he'd have finished inside the top 20. Offered valuable assistance to Samu.
• The team: Second overall in the team rankings is a good picture on just how strong the team was. Racked up 5 "stage-wins" as a team along the way, and was together with Caisse the best team in the race without a shadow of a doubt. Pleased to see the team take responsability on a couple of stages, and Samu's win on stage 15 was a demonstration of how a team should work; united, strong and willing to to put their own ambitions aside for the captain. Best ever Grand Tour for Euskaltel.

Simply the best

It seems I missed the biggest weekend in Euskaltel's history. That feels bad for an Euskaltel devotee like me, but I guess you can't see it all. It's a shame, as Euskaltel put on a show like no other and totally crushed all opponents the last three days.

I've got nothing to say on Samu that hasn't already been said. I'm lost for superlatives when it comes to this man. Brilliant, world-class or amazing just doesn't do him justice. I'm not going to write too much about his triple-win, as it's all old news by now. I guess the most propriate thing to say now would be "thank you, Samu". Thank you for winning three stages, thank you for getting Euskaltel's first podium in a grand tour, thank you for putting Euskaltel up there with the very best and thank you for the joy you've brought to all of us Euskaltel fans.

Igor was superb, as we've become used to, and so was the rest of the team. Rarely have I seen such grit, determination and pure will in our team. EVERYONE on the team contributed to making this Vuelta Euskaltel's best ever three-week race. It was a joy to watch, and the team's devoted work for Samu made me proud. Evaluation of the team and each rider will of course appear in a day or two. I'm already looking forward to writing it. Euskaltel, we love you!

I'll be back

I'm going out of town for the weekend, and I'm afraid I won't be able to update the site until Monday night. Though, I'm not ruling out updating the blog, as an internet connection might be in place where I'll live, so tune in as usual in case I get the possibility to post something.

Iban Mayo Martxa Zikloturista sees Iban back in action

Iban was finally back on his bike on Sunday, as the annual Iban Mayo Martxa Zikloturista was held. The race, held for the second time this year, is an event to honour Iban and his exploits on the bike. 170 people participated this time around; 39 more than last year. These kind of races are mostly for fun and not really competitive, with Iban finishing in 40th place. He was wearing the Iban Mayo Lagunartea clothes, his official fan club's, with a matching Catlike Whisper helmet to go. And, yes, he was riding his Scott Addict bike. I guess the riders get to keep their bikes when they sign for a team, so no real surprise there. He looked very slim and lean, seemingly in good form. A couple of his friends participated, among them Gorka Amuriza and Egoitz Murgoitio of the Grupo Nicolas Mateos outfit. Great to see him back in action and with so much support. Aupa Iban!

Samu now 4th overall

It was a highly successful day in the Vuelta for the team today. Samu and Igor advanced to 4th and 9th overall respectively, while the team once again won the team classification.

It was a stage designated for a break, but it wasn't the kind of break most had expected. The break consisted of twelve general classification riders, among them Samu and Igor. Also present were Menchov, Sastre, Evans, Mosquera, Monfort, Pellizotti, Goubert and eventual victor Luis Pérez among others. Notable absentees were Efimkin and Beltrán. The break established a three-minute gap; a significant amount of time. Several of the riders in the break had interests in the overall, but still most of the job was left to Igor, who did an awesome job leading the break up the climbs. The 12 riders crossed the line nearly 2:30 ahead of the pack, with Samu grabbing fourth on the stage as well as 4th on the overall. Sadly he couldn't fight for the win, as Pérez escaped with 10 km to go. But anyway, great peformance once again from the team, resulting in the third, if I'm not mistaken, win in the teams classification. Tomorrow will be the last mountain-top finish, so watch out for Igor and Samu once again. Full stage results:

• 4th, Samu Sánchez, 0:41
• 11th, Igor Antón, 0:47
• 36th, Haimar Zubeldia, 3:07
• 56th, Iñigo Landaluze, 3:47
• 93rd, Iñaki Isasi, 17:31
• 105th, Alán Pérez, 27:45
• 106th, Koldo Fernández, s.t.
• 107th, Aitor Hernández, s.t.
• 142nd, Dioni Galparsoro, s.t.

Samu, Amets and Rubén till 2010?

If Madariaga gets it his way, that's indeed going to be the case. Amets, Rubén and Samu, who've all enjoyed a more than satisfying season, will be offered extensions to their current contracts. If I've got it rigth, reading the Spanish newspapers, they've all got contracts until the end of 2008. Though, the Euskaltel heads would like to tie them to the club longer than that, and it seems likely they'll all sign on.