No GC aspirations for Samu

Samu will focus solely on stages, not the general classification, at the upcoming Tour de France. Speaking to VeloNews a few days ago, Samu outlined his objectives. Here's what he had to say: "More than anything, I am going to try to win a stage for the team. The last time we won a stage was with Ibán Mayo on the Alpe d’Huez (in 2003), and the team’s been close since then, but hasn’t been able to close the deal. So, above all, I’d love to win one for the team. I’ve done well in the Vuelta, but the Tour is something else. You need that extra touch of experience to do well in the Tour (on GC). I am going into the race more tranquilo in terms of the GC. That’s not my first obsession in this Tour." He also went on to say that he'll skip the Vuelta and the Worlds this year. Click http://www.velonews.com/article/78949 to read the full article (in English for once). A recomended read.

Dismal NCRR performance

Euskaltel once again failed to put up a fight at the National Championship's road race today. Antton and Markel did well to get into the day's big break but, sadly, that was as good as it got for the whole team. Lacking the big guns as usual, the team had to make do with Egoi's 23rd place, Javier's 53rd, Amets' 63rd, and Josu's 71st. Not much to write home about, a bit embarassing in fact, but that's the way it goes sometimes. I didn't get to watch the race but, judging by the placing, I'm a bit worried for Amets. He ended up way back, and there's six days to go until the race kicks off in Brest. He probably knows what he's doing though, so I won't waste too much time worrying about it.

Markel 9th in NCTT

Markel did well to claim 9th at the National Championship's Time Trial. He eventually ended up 1:32 in arrears on winner León Sánchez. Egoi disappointed a bit by coming home 17th, a full 2:31 down, while Josu ended up 18th, 5 seconds behind Egoi.

14 riders to ride road race

14 Euskaltel riders will contest tomorrow's National Championship's road race. The three who did the TT will all take part, and will be accompanied by Jorge, Dioni, Aitor H and G, Beñat, Andoni, Lander, Antton, Jon, Javier and Amets. None of the big guns then, but hopefully Amets can step up and improve on his 8th place of last year on the selective parcours.

Top rank

Due to consistently good riding, three Euskaltel riders are inside the top 18 on UCI's individual ranking. Mikel's stage-racing qualities leave him in a 7th place for now, while Haimar is in 13th place due to strong form so far this year. Igor's Suisse exploits has rewarded him with an 18th place, having accumulated 38 points. Euskaltel as a team are ranked 9th out of the 18 teams in the Pro Tour. Not bad at all, but there's definetely room for improvement. Some may argue, and I partly agree, that rankings like these don't really matter. That's true, but it's always a nice feeling to see your favourites close to the top no matter the competition.

Iban speaks

He's alive after all. For the first time in months Iban has given an interview. Speaking to Biciclismo.com the other day, he spoke of his whole situation. Read on for a transcript of the interview in which he lashes out at Saunier Duval and reveals he could have been racing all year. Here we go:

• You know when CAS will come to a conclusion? In July, at least that's what I think. I thought they would decide in May, but then they just announced that they would decide in July. I though this whole process would go faster. I just have to be patient.
• You've already spent a year, or at least close to a year, without racing. Has it been tough? It's been a rollercoaster ride. It's been hard, especially when you see all the irregularities in the whole process. What angers me more, though, is that the team haven't allowed me to race. The Spanish Federation did not sanction me, they cleared me, so I've been free to race since the Challenge Mallorca (in February). I could have raced while my case was being heard. I know that I couldn't have participated in the Pro Tour races, but the team's lack of confidence in me has really hurt.
• Anyway, you think of riding again? I would like to return to competition to get this weight off my shoulders. And I would also like to decide myself when to put an end to my career. I don't want to quit this way. I'm aware of the fact that it's complicated though. I don't know what my team intend to do if CAS' decision is in my favour. What I don know though, is that I've got a year left on my contract with Saunier Duval. My contract will be automatically renewed for another year (2009), as they haven't summoned to me in three months. But I don't want to force a situation either. The most important thing nonetheless is to get cleared.
• You stay in shape? I train every day, so one could say that I live the life of a professional. It's hard when you're not competing, and I've often asked myself why I'm doing this. At least I haven't been lonely, people still support me.
  

Trio to ride TT

Euskaltel will send Egoi, Josu and Markel to the Spanish Time Trial Championships in Talavera de la Reina on Friday. There are quite a few specialists taking part this year, Gutierrez, León Sánchez and Plaza, just to name a few, so they're definetely up against it. But if they've got luck on their side, and they're in top form, they can all surely get a good result. I even reckon that Egoi can win the whole thing if everything goes his way. But I won't get carried away, a top 5 though sounds realistic for both him and Markel if they're in top form.

Samu looking for wins

Samu won't let the Tour ghosts of the past come back to haunt him this year, as he's looking to finish the Tour for the first time ever. Samu took part in 2002 and 2003, but had to abandon both edition's. Speaking of this year's event, Samu had this to say: "It's been five years since I last did the Tour, and I'm a different rider. I'm more mature both on and off the bike. I confront the difficulties in a different way. I have a lot of respect for the race, but I know I've prepared well and that we'll get our chances in this Tour. Our goal must be to win a stage. That's what the team needs. A podium place overall is a possibility, but it'll be hard to make history in that aspect (Euskaltel have never placed a rider on the overall podium). There are many favourites, but I think it'll come down to the usual suspects; Evans, Valverde, Sastre and Menchov." I'd like to add a certain Samuel Sánchez to that list...

Haimar outlines Tour objectives

Speaking at the presentation of the new Tour t-shirt, which the fans will wear in the Pyrenees, yesterday, Haimar spoke of his desire to finally win a stage in world's biggest bike race: "Not improving on last year's fifth place overall would be a step back. We won't deny that, but first of all we'll look for a stage-win. But if you fight for a stage-win in the mountains you're also in there on GC. A podium place overall? Why not? That's the next step. The last week is quite hard. They've added some long climbs, and we (himself, Samu, Mikel and Iñaki) went to see some really hard stages. It was worth the trouble to go check them out. We now know what lies in store for us." Haimar singled out 5 main candidates for the overall win, and, not surprisingly, three of those are from CSC: "Evans, Valverde, Sastre and the hermanos Schleck". What about Menchov, Haimar?

Haimar heaven

Haimar has, finally, got his own website. His official homepage, click http://www.kecprosport.com/deportistas/Haimar_Zubeldia.html to enter, is a good one, and will allow all you Haimar supporters to keep up with the latest news. A link to his homepage can be found at the right-hand menu. I've received permission to translate all his Spanish diary entries into English and post them on my blog so, if you no hablo español, don't panick; you'll find it all right here.

The Tour team

The Tour de France team is ready. The chosen 9 are: Haimar, Mikel, Samu, Egoi, Gorka, Amets, Rubén, Iñaki and Juanjo. Looks like a very balanced team; we've got GC riders, stage-winner, riders for the breaks, TTs and for domestique duties. The only thing we lack is of course a noted sprinter. Iñaki did well in the Tour a couple of years ago, so hopefully he can get into the mix. More on the Tour team later...

Watch Koldo's triple

Koldo has enjoyed a brilliant spring campaign, notching three wins along the way. Here are links to videos of the last few kilometres of each win:

• Euskal Bizikleta: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ODBeNjSA3i8
• Vuelta a Castilla y León: http://youtube.com/watch?v=CnV7D6NzmBs
• Vuelta a Murcia: http://youtube.com/watch?v=VNXVCdBHWso

Igor finishes 3rd

Igor defended his third place overall without problem on the Tour de Suisse's last stage today. The victory on the 9th stage went to arguably the best rider in the world, Fabian Cancellara (again!). Igor, Jorge and Gorka all came in with the pack, while the rest of the guys, exhausted from a gruelling stage-race, came in several minutes adrift. Dioni ended up 1:36 back, Iñigo 1:46, Aitor 3:06 and Andoni 4:40 down. The final general classification looks like this:

• 3rd, Igor Antón, 1:55
• 53rd, Gorka Verdugo, 34:56
• 61st, Jorge Azanza, 38:03
• 92nd, Iñigo Landaluze, 55:43
• 114th, Dionisio Galparsoro, 1:06:29
• 129th, Aitor Hernández, 1:39:49
• 130th, Andoni Lafuente, 1:54:09

Speaking to reporter's post-podium appearance, Igor expressed his satisfaction with his overall performance: "I'm very pleased with the Tour de Suisse", he said. "I'm happy with my results. I had good form in the Euskal Bizikleta (where he ended up 2nd), but that's a different type of race. The Tour de Suisse is a harder race. People like Klöden and Cunego have participated, and every day is tough. I'm tired now; 9 days of competition is difficult. Especially yesterday's ITT was hard. A stage-win, four days in yellow and 3rd overall is a remarkable achievement. The team have worked well, and we go back home satisfied. Those of us who won't do the Tour will now get a chance to rest, but it's important still to not fall asleep. I'll prepare for the Vuelta a España now, so, really, I can't relax for too long." With the form he's been showing this year, I can't wait for the Vuelta...

Full results stage 8

• 7th, Igor Antón, 1:49
• 38th, Jorge Azanza, 6:16
• 57th, Iñigo Landaluze, 7:38
• 59th, Gorka Verdugo, 7:45
• 69th, Dionisio Galparsoro, 8:27
• 79th, Aitor Hernández, 9:01
• 121st, Andoni Lafuente, 12:10

General classification with one stage left to race:

• 3rd, Igor Antón, 1:55
• 56th, Gorka Verdugo, 34:56
• 66th, Jorge Azanza, 38:03
• 94th, Iñigo Landaluze, 54:05
• 119th, Dionisio Galparsoro, 1:05:01
• 133rd, Aitor Hernández, 1:36:51
• 134th, Andoni Lafuente, 1:49:37