The 21st of May is the day

It's official: CAS will announce their verdict on the 21st of May. Iban and his lawyer, José Rodriguez, confirmed the date to Basque daily DEIA today. "It's true", Iban said. "I'm pleased, obviously. I heard they came to a conclusion in Valverde, Di Luca and Petacchi's cases... And in my case, nothing. I just had to wait. If I lost hope? No, I knew the day had to come. Though, we only know the date when they will make their decision public, we know nothing about what that decision might be..." Speaking of the future, he was a bit more pessimistic: "I have no idea what that may hold for me. First we'll just have to wait for their verdict, then... I don't know. The only thing I want right now is for CAS to clear my name. But even if they do, I can't imagine myself riding for a Pro Tour team. Team's will be afraid to touch me, but I'm still hopeful of being able to decide for myself when to stop riding my bike. What happens, happens. Though, nothing will be like it once was". Stay tuned for more reports on the case...

Iban forever

Time-out

Due to several reasons I won't be updating the blog in some weeks. To be honest there's just too much going on right now, so I have to quit something. But relax, it's only temporary. I probably won't start posting full-time again before late May I'm afraid. Though, I WILL write about Iban if there's any news, so stay tuned for that. I'll also be updating the riders' profiles along the way, but nothing more than that. I'm sorry, I really am, but I've taken the decision to stop for a while. I'll post a pic of Iban later today, but that will be the last post in a while. See ya!

No gold for Euskaltel in Amstel

It was a dismal day for the team in the Amstel Gold Race today. None of the riders were ever really in the mix, or on TV for that matter, as the riders failed to be protagonists in the Dutch one-day classic. Aitor Galdos did well though to come home 31st, 1:55 down, in a group containing names like Voeckler, Gilbert, Scheirlinckx, Bertagnolli, Aerts, Brandt and Kolobnev, while Mikel found the 31 climbs a little too tough, coming in another ten places down, 2:06 back. Egoi ended up 54th, 2:43 in arrears, while Jorge, Iñaki and Juanjo came in 98th, 99th and 100th respectively, all 7:42 down, while Rubén came in alongside Xavier Florencio 8:07 down. Javier naturally found the going tough in his first Ardennes Classic and abandoned. The same team will take part in the Fleche Wallonne on Wednesday, so hopefully the team will perform better than. Aupa!

Haimar unhappy with slow start

First of all: I'm sorry for my inactivity these last few days. Though, it's not for the lack of trying. The internet has gone on strike several times this week, so I really haven't had the possibility to post anything. But that's about to change right now... Haimar is not pleased with how he's performed so far this year. He revealed his thoughts about his season to Basque daily Diario de Gipuzkoa some days ago: "It's not been good. My goal was to do a good Paris-Nice, but it didn't go to plan. I started out well in Mallorca, but then I got ill. I got influenza, and had to relax at home for a week. I then went to the Comunitat Valenciana, but I had barely trained because I had to take antibiotics because of a crash. I noticed that my form had dropped, but I was still optimistic I would rediscover my best form in time for Paris-Nice. It wasn't to be though. Therefore I'm not pleased with my start to the season". Haimar went on to outline his lead-up to the Tour, which will consist of the Tour de Romandie and the Dauphiné Libéré. "I won't be in top form in Romandie, but in the Dauphiné I have to be close to peaking. The plan is to arrive in top shape for the Tour de France". His calendar post-Tour is yet to be decided upon, but he doesn't rule out the Vuelta a España if the form is still good. He also spoke of his hopes of one day riding Amstel Gold and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but that will have to happen another season...

Amstel line-up

According to www.cyclingstartlists.com, this is the team Euskaltel will send to Sunday's big one-day race in the Netherlands, the Amstel Gold Race: Rubén, Iñigo, Jorge, Jon, Aitor Galdos, Mikel, Iñaki and Juanjo. Mikel will, naturally, be the captain, while Rubén, Iñigo, Aitor and Jon will most probably be on the look-out to join any early breaks. Looks like a potent line-up for sure. Many of these 8 seem to be in good form, though I'm afraid the win will elude the team again as, even though Mikel looks awesome these days, there's a lack of a certain Samu Sánchez.

Markel: "All I want is some luck"

Markel has performed consistently well for the team this season, with his 2nd place in the Paris-Nice prologue as a highlight, but thinks it could all have been so much better if Lady Luck had been on his side. In today's Basque daily El Diario Vasco, he elaborated on the matter: "The word "luck" in an unknown to me. In the Ronde van Vlaanderen I broke my rear wheel. Just after the mechanics had changed it, Baldato ran in to me from behind, causing me to crash. When we reached the Oude Kwaremont, myself and Beñat both crashed. Then it was all over for us. All I want is some luck. I finished Paris-Roubaix rather well, but all kinds of things happened to me before reaching the velodrome. First I broke my bike. The mechanics had never seen anything like it; it was a total mess. Before reaching the Arenberg Forest, the peloton split into several pieces due to the strong echelons. The tension was high. Flecha punctured in front of me, so I jumped onto José Joaquin Rojas' wheel. We were then part of a group five minutes down, including Nuyens, Erviti and Quinziato. Then it got worse. I punctured, but luckily I got a wheel from a Bouygues mechanic. Shortly afterwards I broke my saddle. I ended up riding alone for 15 kilometres, waiting for the next group to come along. I had to change the whole bike, but I stayed with the group I had waited for." He added that he crashed three times in Paris-Nice, but he didn't complain about the equipment though. In fact, he was full of praise for the bikes the team had been equipped with in Roubaix. "The bike was perfect; low air pressure in the wheels, 25 millimetre tubulars, 44 teeth bracket, a double layer of handlebartape and more compact bottle cages." Despite all the misfortune, he should remain optimistic. He admits he's improved physically this season, "but I don't have anything to show for it due to all the bad luck." Well, Markel, it's bound to turn eventually. If he can keep his current form for the remainder of the season, he'll get some results to brag about for sure.

Mikel gearing up for Ardennes Classics

Mikel today confirmed to el Diario Vasco his upcoming races. He will as expected take part in the Amstel Gold Race, the Fleche Wallonne and the Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He'll of course lead the team and, considering his great showing in País Vasco, I'm hoping for some top 10s in all these races. After these Classics he'll take some time off to recuperate before returning to competition in the Dauphiné Libéré. Here he'll hone his form for his second season-goal, the Tour de France.

Markel and Juanjo reach velodrome

Two Euskaltel representatives managed to finish today's hellish Paris-Roubaix. Markel came in 71st, 16:48 back, in a group containing names like Hoj, Horillo, Rojas, Haussler, Sutton and Lang, while Juanjo ended up 16:57 down, in 91st place. The rest of the guys abandoned. Koldo pulled out after a crash, but is reported to not have sustained any injuries, except for the normal bruises and all that. The guys were reported to be a bit disillusioned by the weather and the cold, but I understand them. This really isn't the team's favourite cup of tea!

Oh so close for Mikel in Amorebieta

Mikel turned in a great performance in today's GP Primavera, but the win still eludes him time and time again. Today he had the chance to sprint for the win in a group of four but, considering the opposition and his own end-speed, or lack of rather, he ended up 4th. Annoying, but still great race from Mikel. He's been the team's best rider without a doubt so far this season. He just lacks that finishing touch... Egoi and Rubén were also impressive today, with both joining a break with 30 kilometres left to ride. The break formed after the initial break had been caught, and consisted of some top quality riders. Unfortunately they were reeled back in, and Egoi went on to finish 10th, while Rubén faded to 57th. In between was Amets in a good 19th, only 44 seconds down. Dioni ended up six minutes down in 61st place, while Jorge placed 87th, 9 minutes back. The rest of the guys abandoned. A shame that the team are unable to turn strong performances into wins, but sooner or later that has got to change.

Odriozola's verdict

Jon Odriozola was the team's directeur sportif in the Vuelta al País Vasco, a race which ended today. When speaking to the team's website after the race's conclusion, Jon was a happy man: "I'm very proud of the team. We've been the most active and fighting team. We've done all we can to win. The race was very blocked in a way, and we've done more than any other team to change that. Contador has done a great race and is the deserved winner. We came to the last day with Mikel still in contention, and he ended up 6th eventually. I think the fans are pleased with our attitude; we've never given up". Indeed, they never gave in to Astana, or any other team for that matter, so I'm pleased. Are you? Leave comments.

Mikel ends up 6th in País Vasco

The Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco came to a close today in the shape of a 20-kilometre individual time trial in Orio. Mikel did okay to finish 11th, and thus 6th overall. Igor also did okay to come home 27th. He therefore ended up 13th, which must be considered a great result considering his injury. Stage results:

• 11th, Mikel Astarloza, 1:39
• 27th, Igor Antón, 2:13
• 39th, Egoi Martínez, 2:43
• 60th, Amets Txurruka, 3:30
• 85th, Jorge Azanza, 4:11
• 95th, Iván Velasco, 5:19
• 98th, Iñigo Landaluze, 6:11
• 99th, Iñaki Isasi, 6:26

Final general classification:

• 6th, Mikel Astarloza
• 13th, Igor Antón
• 43rd, Egoi Martínez
• 47th, Amets Txurruka
• 72nd, Jorge Azanza
• 80th, Iván Velasco
• 84th, Iñigo Landaluze
• 88th, Iñaki Isasi

Euskaltel finished 9th in the team classification, while Egoi racked up three(!) different prizes. Of course he won the climber's jersey, which is a great feat. He also won the "most aggressive rider prize", which I predicted, and he also won an "elegancia" prize. What that prize is for I don't know, but it sure sounds good. Amets won the "longest break" prize, while he also won, just like Egoi, a somewhat peculiar prize: the sympathi prize. Again, I have no idea why or what for, but I'm sure he'll be pleased. Mikel won the "best Basque" competition as he ended up a brilliant 6th. Mikel has really looked solid this year. I can't wait for the Tour, where he'll push for a high overall placing this year as well. Considering how he's been racing these first few months, anything's possible. The team as a whole performed admirably, and a stage win would be just reward for their efforts. The win eluded the team again, but there's still a lot to take heart from.

Amorebieta: Igor out, Iñigo in

Igor has been forced to pull out of the team for tomorrow's Klasika de Amorebieta. His achilles injury will, once again, keep him out of action. Iñigo, who looked solid in País Vasco, as well as in Tirreno and San Remo, will take his place. Stay tuned for full post-race report tomorrow.

Amets may pull out

Euskaltel head Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano told the team's website that Amets might not start tomorrow's ultimate stage; a 20-kilometre effort against the clock. Amets, incredibly, hit the deck three times today, so I'll have no problems accepting that. Galdeano raised doubts about his participation tomorrow, but I guess he won't decide upon that until he steps out of bed tomorrow.