Sunday round-up

• Pierre Cazaux showed himself on today's Tour of Poland opener by getting into the day's main break. The Frenchman has suffered from bad luck for big parts of the season but hopefully today's good day out can spur him on to bigger things towards the end of the year. He was, along with his breakaway companions, naturally reeled back in as the sprint approached. Koldo tried to get into the mix but never really got a good position and eventually cruised home in a disappointing 20th place. On the bright side though all eight riders came in with the pack and thus avoided losing any GC aspirations on the very first stage.
• In today's other race, the Circuito de Getxo, Euskaltel failed to put the finishing touches to their good team-work. The team spent quite a lot of time at the front, controlling proceedings, but couldn't put a rider into the decisive three-man break. Lobato impressively grabbed the win through his strong finishing kick, while Bilbao, Nieve and Oroz all came in with the main chasing group three seconds down in 13th, 18th and 23rd respectively. Antón, who tried to break clear with a powerful surge on a climb late on, finished up 27th, while R Pérez was 43rd, Urtasun 54th and Isasi 70th.
• Orbea had a rather more successful Getxo experience, putting Zabalo in the break of the day and taking 10th through the ever-reliable Ricardo García. Martín finished in 20th in the select group at three seconds, Urain was 45th, Bagües 51st, Zabalo 53rd, Etxebarria 57th, Sáez 58th, and Aberasturi 68th.
• The Vuelta a Burgos commences this coming Wednesday and Vuelta-bound duo Antón and Nieve will naturally be present. There's some confusion though whether defending champ Samu will line up. Some reports says he will, some don't. It's rumoured Velasco and Txurruka will make their return to competition after their injury-enforced Tour abandonments, but this seems a bit premature to be so I wouldn't put my money on it. Stay tuned the following days for a complete and final line-up.

Samu strong in San Sebastián

When your best isn't good enough and your name is Samuel Sánchez, all you can do is sit back and applaud the winner. And there was really ever going to be one winner. Exactly how you beat Phil Gilbert in a lumpy one-dayer is quickly becoming a mystery, but it certainly wasn't for the lack of trying on Samu's behalf today. Showing the aggressiveness and panache he rediscovered at the Tour, Samu set the race alight on the slopes of the Jaizkíbel more than once and looked the strongest of the pre-race favourites. Once caught, and with Gilbert up the road, he went close to catching the eventual winner with a last-ditch effort along with erstwhile team-mate (and still legend) Haimar Zubeldia. It wasn't to be though and Samu eventually had to settle for eighth, but it was a performance to be proud of nonetheless. Victory in San Sebastián keeps on eluding him but sooner or later he's bound to win it.

Team-wise it was also a good performance. Euskaltel took charge of affairs once the six-man move up the road got more than a sizable gap and spent long hours at the head of the pack. Once Samu was unleashed they were nowhere to be seen though, but that's to be expected when you've been forced to do the dirty work for so long. Izagirre was 51st at 6:33, while R Pérez was 62nd and Landa 70th, both at 9:08.

News shorts

• Samu closed out his post-Tour crit campaign with a third in Welser on Thursday. The Olympic champ was beaten to the win by Eisel and Jan Sokol. Samu has now set his sights on delivering Euskaltel it's first win in the Clásica later today, but admits it'll be difficult as he expects Gilbert to win. "Gilbert will win, I guarantee you", he told Spanish media earlier this week.
• The Circuito de Getxo is up the day after San Sebastián, and both Euskaltel and Orbea will naturally line up. Aberasturi, Bagües, Zabalo, García, Sáez, Etxebarria, Martín, Blázquez and Urain will represent the blue team, while Antón, Nieve, Bilbao, Oroz, Urtasun, Isasi and A and R Pérez will defend the orange team's interests. The latter five will also take part in San Sebastián today as announced earlier.
• Tomorrow also marks the kick-off for the Tour of Poland. Contrary to earlier reports both on this site and on others, Mikel Astarloza will not take the start. No information on why hasn't been given, but I assume we will know why during the upcoming week. Euskaltel will still send a strong team, though, consisting of Castroviejo, Fernández, Sesma, Azanza, Cazaux, Minguez, Aramendía and Jon Izagirre, reports the team's website.
• Orbea have also announced their line-up for the Vuelta a Burgos running from 3-7 July. Cabedo, García, Extebarria, Bizkarra, Martín, Zabalo, Urain and Sáez will do their utmost to get into breaks, according to team DS Díaz.
• Naturgas meanwhile will take on another type of race. On Sunday the red team will send a trio to a mountain time trial event in Altzo. Merino, Chetout and González will try to shine for Arberas' team.

News shorts

• Samu finished second to that man Gilbert in yesterday's Tour crit is Aalst, Belgium. Samu came home three seconds down on the Belgian champ but in front of Ivan Basso in third. Samu isn't expected to go back home 'till Thursday as he aims to cash in on his Tour performance in lucrative criteriums in Belgium and in the Netherlands.
• Despite his late arrival, Samu will still lead the team's charge in San Sebastián on Saturday. On the provisional start list is also fellow Tour-riders Urtasun, A and R Pérez and Izagirre. Oroz, Isasi and Landa fill out the roster.
• Orbea first ventured into team sponsorship back in 1985. To celebrate this 25-year anniversary, Orbea's Continental team wore the iconic blue-and-white striped jersey of Delgado, Cabestany and co. in yesterday's Clásica Ordizia. Click here to check out photos of the classy jersey on the shoulders of the heroes of tomorrow.
• Despite finishing a career-best (I think!) 25th in the Tour de France, Gorka Verdugo says he did not aim for a high overall placing going into the race. "I didn't think about a top overall result, it's not important", he told el Diario de Navarra. "But if you do your work and stay with Samu throughout all the stages you naturally finish high up".
• Not only did Euskaltel earn a lot of admirers for their Tour performance, they also earned a whole lot of money. Team riders and staff will receive 87 780 euros to share between them, making them the eighth highest earners of the 22 teams.
• The UCI published their updated WorldTour rankings yesterday. Out of the 18 teams Euskaltel are ranked 12th, tied on points with number 13 Katusha. Movistar are currently occupying the 15th and last spot that guarantees a WorldTour status next year, but Euskaltel are perilously placed just 53 points ahead of Intxausti, Erviti and company.

Youth to the fore in Ordizia

Jon Izagirre and Peio Bilbao showed their considerable promise in today's Clásica Ordizia. Both youngsters made it into the final seven-man selection that formed on the hilly parcours and ended up fourth and seventh respectively. The latter never got the chance to sprint as he crashed in the very last curve leading to the line and thus had to console himself with a slightly disappointing seventh. Izagirre, who's brother took out the race a year ago, was bested by Frenchman Simon and compatriots Moreno and Lastras in the dash for the line. Oroz came home with a big group two minutes down in 29th, while Nieve and Antón finished up 37th and 40th at 3:43 and 4:51 respectively. Isasi was 48th a further 90 seconds back. Through his fourth-place finish, Jon Izagirre naturally took out the U23 and Local Rider classifications.

Orbea also enjoyed a decent race as Bizkarra and García both finished inside the top 20 (15th and 19th). Zabalo and Cabedo came in with Oroz and García's group at two minutes, while Blázquez and Sáez came in alongside Antón at 4:51. Aritz Bagües finished outside the time limit.

Samu discards Vuelta appearance

Samu has as expected decided not to line up in the Vuelta later this season, reports Euskaltel's website. The Tour King of the Mountains will instead focus on gathering vital points towards the UCI's WorldTour classification at events like the two one-dayers in Canada and in San Sebastián this coming Saturday.

Tour stage 21

All Euskaltel riders got through today's concluding stage into Paris without any sort of mishaps to complete what has been an historic Tour for the team. Seeing Samu with his kids up on the podium, all dressed up in (let's be honest) those terrible-looking polkadots, was a sight to behold and a moment which will live long in the memory of Samu, Madariaga, Galdeano and co. He naturally kept hold of his sixth place on GC and with it ascended to fifth in UCI's WorldTour rankings. Official updated WorldTour rankings will be up tomorrow, so stay tuned.

News shorts

• Efrén Carazo put in one of his best performances of the season when he took 10th in yesterday's Bayonne-Pamplona one-dayer. The youngster hasn't always gotten the results to show for his considerable efforts this season so he'll no doubt be pleased with such a strong result in such a high-level race. Aitor Ocampos finished up 37th and was the only other finisher from the team in the Torneo Euskaldun-race.
• A familiar face took out today's race in Busturia. Caja Rural standout Yelco Gómez took another impressive win to add to his rapidly-growing palmarès, while Igor Merino's sixth and Chetout's ninth salvaged some pride for the red brigade.
• Koldo Fernández almost single-handedly salvaged Euskaltel's Brixia Tour through his creditable third place on the closing stage earlier today. On the 164,6km trek from Calcinato to Verona the speedster was only bested by Modolo and Rizzo to take a morale-boosting third. On GC, Mikel Landa was the team's highest finisher in 24th. Sesma was 35th, Azanza 42nd, Mínguez 70th, Fernández 80th, Cazaux 101st and Castroviejo 115th.

Etxebarria cleared of Puerto-links

Retired Euskaltel great Unai Etxebarria has been awarded damages in the region of 30 000 euros for being erroneously linked to the Operación Puerto back in 2006, reports Cyclingnews. The former rider, born in Venezuela, was said to have had links with the infamous doctor at the centre of the investigation - Eufemiano Fuentes - by newspapers El Correo, ABC and el Diario Vasco back in June of 2006. Etxebarria denied the accusations at the time.

News shorts

• Vuelta-bound duo Igor Antón and Mikel Nieve will headline a strong Euskaltel team in tomorrow's Clásica Ordizia. Last year's race was of course won in impressive fashion by Gorka Izagirre, and this year's revised parcours is likely to suit the strong duo. Joining them will be Oroz, Isasi, Bilbao, Aramendía and Jon Izagirre.
• After a strong start to the year, Orbea will aim to kick off their second half of the season with a strong performance in Ordizia tomorrow, reports the team's website. The blue team will be represented by Bizkarra, Cadebo, Saez, Zabalo, Martín, García, Etxebarria, Bagües, Urain and Blázquez.
• Over in Italy, in the Brixia Tour, Euskaltel haven't been overly successful. Koldo Fernández tried his hand in the third stage and grabbed a decent 8th place in the final sprint, while Mikel Landa climbed to a strong 16th place in yesterday's mountainous stage four won by diminutive climber Pozzovivo. Heading into the last stage, the talented climber from Murgia is the the team's best-placed overall in 24th.
• Naturgas took part in yesterday's prestigious Bayonne-Pamplona one-day race with a roster consisting of Chetout, Baudron, García, Ocampos, Legarra, Guinea and Carazo. Results are yet to be published. The same seven riders, plus strong-men Martínez, Marino, Grijalba, González and Barbero, are at the time of writing taking part in a Torneo Lehendakari-race in Busturia.

Tour joy

Due to various reasons I haven't been able to update the blog the last few days anywhere near as much as I'd like. And it's quite a shame with this weekend being an historic one in the team's history. Samu winning the King of the Mountains-jersey was his just reward for an inspiring and aggressive performance throughout the three weeks. His brilliant seventh in yesterday's ITT was simply proof of his great versatility and his sixth place overall wast the least he deserved. With the exception of the stage to the Galibier he's been exceptional, probably the strongest in the race along with winner Evans and A Schleck. A place on the podium and possibly even more was within his reach in this year's edition, but you won't hear him complaining after what's been a very successful Tour after a less than brilliant start. The team will in all likelihood end up fifth in the team rankings. For a team with the smallest budget in the WorldTour, along with the smallest area in which to recruit riders, it's quite the result. Add in the fact that two of the team's strongest climbers had to abandon early on and the feat gets even more impressive. Chapeau!

A leader is nothing without his helpers though. Bar any last-stage accidents, Verdugo will finish 25th. That's ahead of riders like Roche, Casar, Karpets, Leipheimer, Gesink and Arroyo. He's been there for Samu every single day and has provided invaluable assistance. The same goes for Egoi Martínez who'll end up 34th. The 31-year-old, widely considered one of the most valuable domestiques in the business, has been impressive and has been forced to take on even more responsibility and with it less freedom due to the loss of Txurruka and Velasco. Great ride by him. Debutants Izagirre and Urtasun have both come through the Tour in good shape. Both have been aggressive and both have been climbing well. The former will end up a highly-creditable 66th on GC, while the latter is on course for a 149th-place finish. Rubén Pérez has once again been one of the most aggressive riders in the pack and would be a worthy winner of the 'Most aggressive rider'-prize overall if he was to be handed the award at the conclusion of the Tour later today. Alan Pérez grabbed a nice 6th place here the other day and has merited his place in the team without a shadow of a doubt. All in all a well-organized and cohesive team. Check back later today for full results and reactions from the major players.

Tour stage 18 and 19 round-up

It's been a contrasting two days at the Tour for Euskaltel. Yesterday Samu's podium challenge faltered on the relentless gradients of the Galibier. Today he finished second on the mighty Alpe and with it grabbed the team's first ever jersey in the Tour; the polkadots. It's a landmark achievement for the team and the Fundación as a whole, and finally you sense that the 'Best climber's jersey' has actually been won by the best climber. Richly deserved, chapeau! Stay tuned later this evening for full results and reactions.

Brixia stage 2

Things didn't get too much better for Euskaltel on day two of the Brixia Tour. The late-day ITT was cancelled, and in the short road race early in the morning only Mikel Landa was able to stay with the peloton all the way to the line, taking 16th place eventually. Sesma came home with the second group at 2:28, Azanza, Minguez and Cazaux ceeded 9:44, while Castroviejo and Fernández lost 16:21. The ITT being cancelled was a bummer for the whole team as Castroviejo was widely expected to grab a top, top result.

Tour stage 17/Brixia stage 1 round-up

Rubén Pérez just can't stop attacking, can he? I've lost count of how many breaks he's been in so far but he just always seems to be there. And today he was really impressive too. His attack up the climb to Sestriere showed what an all-rounder he's become over the years and his descending off of the climb was impeccable. Too bad he couldn't sustain it all the way to the line, but then again it was always going to be a tall order given the parcours and the composition of the group behind him. After crossing the line in 12th place he was rightfully awarded the 'Most aggressive rider'-prize, so he has all the reason in the world to be proud of his exploits. So too does Samu who, despite going off the road (sort of anyway) on that technically-challenging downhill, looked as agile as ever on the bike and can count himself unlucky that he didn't take a few seconds out of his main GC rivals through his fearless descending and perfect collaboration with Contador on the few flat kilometres leading to the line. He did take a few seconds out of Basso and Voeckler, though, seconds that can come in handy come the ITT on Saturday, but he's still fifth overall heading into the two most decisive days in the mountains. His form looks to be right up there with the best he's ever had though, so I bet he's looking forward to do some damage on the road to Galibier tomorrow. Martínez and Verdugo are likely to provide ample support if today's performance (and the last week in general to be fair) is anything to go by. The duo came in a minute and a half down on the select group of favourites in a small group containing a host of strong names to move up to 24th and 35th on GC respectively. They look to be coming into their best form at the perfect time. A Pérez, Izagirre and Urtasun all came in with the gruppetto, hopefully saving forces for breakaway exploits tomorrow. Team-wise they're ranked fifth, a placing which probably doesn't generate a lot of interest but which nonetheless speaks volumes of the team's performance as a whole, especially so with Txurruka and Velasco, loyal team-mates and strong climbers in their own right, out with broken collarbones. It's been a marvelous Tour so far, full stop.

Things didn't work out equally well in the Brixia Tour opener today. Euskaltel were never really in the race and Minguez and Azanza were the team's highest-placed riders in 46th and 48th place, both 4:40 in arrears. Fernández came home 4:59 back, Landa 5:57, and Sesma, Cazaux and Castroviejo 11:22 back. On the bright side tomorrow's stage can hardly go worse!