Staying or going?

No, I'm not talking about Samu. I'm talking about myself in fact. I guess it would be more interesting for all of you to read about Samu, or any other rider for that matter, than me, but here I go. This is where it's at: I'm wondering what to do with the blog, whether I should just shut the whole thing down, or whether I should just go back to the original format; writing about Iban. As Iban is, most likely, out of the sport for good, this whole Iban Mayo Blog thing has kind of lost it's meaning. To me at least. And it's been like that for a while I'm afraid. Bringing you news on Iban, my one big hero, was the goal. Now that he's probably gone, out of the limelight at least, I'm not sure I want to continue the blog like this. And I need everyone's opinion on this matter. Though, I should say this just to save you the trouble in suggesting it, I'm not going to rename the blog into some sort of Euskaltel/Basque blog, or to just solely focus on the team. Iban has got to have something to do with it. I'm most likely going to revert the blog back to just bringing you news on Iban. I'm far from decided yet though, so please feel free to speak your mind in the comments section below.

Euskaltel news

• Yeah! The ENECO Tour has finally come to a conclusion. Fittingly for Euskaltel's performance in the race it ended with an ITT, so it was obvious that the team wouldn't set the world alight today either. Aitor H did well to come home 27th, but other than that it was a bad experience looking at the results. Aitor was also best placed overall eventually, landing 51st place.
• Galdeano has outlined the team's objectives for the Vuelta, telling El Correo that they're looking for "at least one stage-win" and a podium place, or something close, for Igor. Galdeano expects Mikel, Iñigo and Egoi to be able to help him in the mountains, but admits Igor is still not at the level of Sastre, Contador and Valverde. I think a podium place is a longshot, but as long as Igor wins on the Angliru I can die a happy man.

Deutchland and ENECO

Nothing new from Iban as of yet, so I'll stick to informing you on Euskaltel. It was, sadly, another day in the ENECO Tour today, and Euskaltel was, again, nowhere to be seen. Okay, maybe I'm coming down a bit hard on them, but frankly, I'm disappointed. There's still a long way to go until the season comes to an end, so there's no use in throwing in the towel just yet. I know the flat stages in the Benelux area isn't exactly the team's cup of tea, but I had at least hoped to see them in a break or three. But the race is still not over... Haimar, Iñaki, Markel, Juanjo, Jorge, Lander, Jon and Aitor H will fly the Basque flag in the Deutschland Tour in three days time. I hope to see Haimar leave the team on a high, but I wouldn't bet my life on it. The team doesn't really seem up for it these days, at least not in countries like Germany and the aforementioned Benelux countries. Still, though, I have a hope of seeing Haimar at his best once more.

Euskaltel news

• ENECO stage 5: Another dismal day. No one in the break, no one inside the peloton. The remaining six Euskaltel riders all came in a massive 14:45 down. The guys seem totally disillusioned, they probably can't wait for the race to end.
• Plouay: Juanjo did well to get into the break of the day, but, other than that, not a good performance from the team. Haimar did okay to come home 31st, inside the main pack, but he was the only rider inside that group. Markel came in 4:3o down, Juanjo 6:10, while Jon, Iñaki and Jorge came in with the very last group, a big 9:09 down on Fedrigo. The team is obviously doing something wrong these days, as it only seems a handful of riders are capable of getting results. Most of them seem to be far off top form, something which is alarming considering many of them didn't enjoy the best of early-seasons to say the least.
• Finally the full Vuelta a España line-up has been revealed: Igor, Koldo, Egoi, Mikel, Iñigo, Amets, Rubén, Alán and Iván. No surprises there then. Iñigo, Alán and Iván all made the cut as expected. Jorge is listed as a reserve in the case of anyone falling ill or something in the lead-up to the race.

Astana spoils the party in Puertos

Today's Clásica a los Puertos became a battle between two teams; Euskaltel and Astana. Unfortunately, Astana once again showed they were the strongest by out-manouvring Iñigo, Igor, Mikel, Amets, Egoi and the rest to take the win. The hilly race saw a flurry of attacks from the whole team, and especially Igor, Iñigo and Mikel looked good. Leipheimer and Contador were just too strong in the end for our boys, who had to make do with Iñigo's fifth place as the best result. Igor did well to claim 9th, while Mikel, Rubén, Egoi, Iván and Amets were not far behind in 12th, 13th, 17th, 27th and 29th respectively. Alán ended up in 44th place. Looking at the results, it seems obvious that Iñigo will get to ride the Vuelta. He's in awesome form, he's just, like a number of riders on the team, missing out on the wins. If he can hold his form for a little while longer though, his first win of the season must be right round the corner.

Puertos line-up

Euskaltel will tomorrow take part in the Clásica Internacional a los Puertos de Guadarrama, a small Spanish one-day race. The team is looking good for a push for the win, with Igor, Egoi, Koldo, Iñigo, Rubén, Mikel, Amets, Iván and Alán all lining up. Jon Odriozola will be in the team car to hopefully guide the team to a much-needed win in an otherwise quite lacklustre season.

ENECO misery

I haven't updated you on the ENECO Tour since the prologue I think, but there's a reason for it; there's nothing to say! It's been nothing short of a complete failure, the only positive being that Javier got into the break of the day on stage 2 or something. They even struggle, and often fail, to even come in with the main pack. Dioni even abandoned on the first stage, prompting the media to speculate if maybe that's it for his career. Dioni has, allegedly, given no reason for pulling out, so it doesn't look for him as far as a new contract is concerned.

Quartet signs on

Alán, Iván, Markel and Josu have all signed a contract that will keep them with the team until the end of the 2009 season. The news came just a couple of days after the announcement that Mikel has decided to prolong his contract, so the team is shaping up for next season.

Haimar's final goodbye

Finally the departing Haimar decided to write about his transfer to Astana on his own website. Here's what the latest entry on the Euskaltel legend's homepage reads:

The best decision for all parts

I've spoken to many newspapers the last few days, and now it's time to tell all of you who follow my career on this website about my decision to leave the team, a team I've been with all my life. It seems like yesterday that this team gave me the possibility of fulfilling one of my major dreams; becoming a professional cyclist. It's been 11 years. During these 11 years the team has been growing little by little. I feel privileged to have been able to contribute a little bit to this cause. Words of gratefulness is all I've got for the people I've gotten to know while with this team. My team-mates, the staff, the fans, the sponsor, and, above all, Miguel Madariaga, the man who gave me the chance to become a professional cyclist. After all these years, I believe that parting ways is the best decision for both me and the team. I'm 31 and I need new challenges. In addition, the time is ripe to make way for the young talent at the team. As for Euskaltel Euskadi, I wish them the best of luck. It's a team I'll remember with affection. My next stop will be Astana. It'll be a challenge, but a challenge I'm relishing. I hope to pay back the confidence they've shown in me by giving my utmost while on the road. Thank you so much for supporting me all these years. I hope I can still give you reasons to cheer me on.

ENECO

The ENECO Tour started today, though without Iñigo for one reason or another. The team could have lined up 8 riders, but, and this says a lot of the race's importance to the team, chose to go with 7. Those seven were Aitor H, Andoni, Josu, Javier, Dioni, Gorka and Beñat. A few of them, or most of them to be honest, need to show what they've got at the race to be able to stay on with the team. Quite a few of these riders are in the danger zone of being axed, as the team will drastically reduce the number of riders going into the 2009 season. None of them did though, as Gorka, who's not in the danger zone, was the best of the guys in the prologue, ending up 38th, 17 seconds adrift. Javier placed 61st, at 20 seconds, Beñat was 71st, at 23, Josu 87th at 25, Aitor 97th at 29 seconds, Andoni 128th at 39, while Dioni came in dead last, a full 55 seconds back. Not a great start, but I wasn't really expecting it either. I do expect, though, to see some of them in the breaks the coming week. Especially guys like Dioni, Beñat, Andoni, Aitor H and Josu who, I fear, may be among the casualities come the end of the season. I know nothing about it though. For all I know they may all be assured a place on the team for next year. We'll soon find out...

Mikel prolongs

Finally some good news; Mikel has prolonged his contract. Mikel will stay with the team at least until the end of the 2010 season. Mikel is showing immense progression, has had an outstanding season and is still young. He's vital to the team. Speaking after sealing the deal, Mikel said: "I'm very happy to stay two more years with my local team. I think to be in the Basque Euskaltel Euskadi team is special. Now I want to thank and repay the confidence shown by the team on the road. This year has been a year good for me, but I think I have room for improvement and I hope for further progression." We all do, 'cause if he indeed improves, he'll be one hell of a rider.

Haimar happy with move

Even though neither Euskaltel nor Haimar himself have confirmed the transfer to Astana, Haimar has expressed his delight at joining Bruyneel's team. "The Astana Team is the best stage-racing team in the world", he said. "I've always admired Johan Bruyneel's teams and to race for him and the best riders is a big honour. I am thankful for the past eleven years, but I'm also excited for the new opportunities and challenges that lie ahead." Sorry all Americans, US Postal/Discovery Channel/LA fans, but what is there to admire with Bruyneel? I know I'm going to piss off a lot of people now, but, come on, we all know his teams have been, yeah, full of dope. It's a strong statement, but I'm serious. I'm sure many of you disagree with me, but if you want to reply to the allegations, though that word sounds really bad, in the comments section, please try to stay serious and not go totally bananas. Anyway, as you've might have noticed by now, this whole case makes me sad. Euskaltel need Haimar, though it doesn't seem Haimar needs Euskaltel I'm afraid.

Haimar leaves team for Astana

An already sad, sad season took another turn for the worse with the announcement that Haimar is leaving the team in order to join Astana. The news was just published on Astana's homepage. More later...

Euskaltel round-up

After a few hectic days it's time to give you the latest news on Euskaltel. Not that there's that much to tell to be honest, but here it goes:

• Euskaltel have released their preliminary Vuelta a España line-up. Igor, Mikel, Koldo, Amets, Rubén, Alán and Egoi will definitely take the start. Three riders, Jorge, Iván and Iñigo, will have to fight it out for the remaining two spots, though Iñigo's strong form of late should secure him a place on the team.
• After his gold in the road race and 6th place in the ITT, Samu was given a grand reception when he returned to Oviedo, Asturias. Samu revealed that, yes, his tears on the podium after winning gold was due to his mother's death 8 years ago. He also revealed that he won't ride the Vuelta, but that he'll ride the Tour of Poland instead to prepare for the Worlds in Varese.
• Euskaltel for the ENECO Tour, 20/8-27/8: Iñigo, Gorka, Dioni, Andoni, Josu, Beñat and Javier. Antton is listed to race, but he's sadly retired, so someone will have to replace him.
• Euskaltel for GP Plouay: Haimar, Juanjo, Iñaki, Markel, Jon, Lander and the Aitors.