Grijalba and Insausti picked for Spain

Former Naturgas prodigy Fernando Grijalba and Basque hotshot Jon Ander Insausti were both selected by spanish national coach José Luís De Santos to take part in a national team training camp starting tomorrow, BiciCiclismo reports.

De Santos picked eleven sub-23 riders, ten juniors and fourteen women for the get-together lasting from Wednesday through Sunday. Grijalba, who left Naturgas for Caja Rural this off-season, actually hails from Castilla y León, leaving the versatile 19-year-old Insausti, who's equally adept in the mud and on the road, Euskadi's sole representative.

Former Euskaltel and Banesto stalwart Ramón González Arrieta, famous for his quite epic fight with Leonardo Sierra at the '95 Vuelta, is responsible for picking the women, and the Bilbao native found place for seven Basques: Christina Alcalde, Dorleta Eskamendi, Irene San Sebastián and Ane Santesteban among the elite riders, along with juniors Ziortza Isasi, Lierni Lekuona and Lourdes Oyarbide.

Overview of selected riders:

Sub-23: Ramón Domene, Dario Hernández, Jon Ander Insausti, Victor Martín, Jon Ander Insausti, Diego Rubio, Ignacio Pérez, Fernando Grijalba, Sergio Angulo, Mario González, Antonio Pedrero and Carlos Antón Jiménez.

Junior: Daniel Alonso, Iván García, David Casillas, Gonzalo Serrano, Sergio Domínguez, Cristian Torres, Miguel Sáez, Borja Carracedo, Juan Camacho and Antonio Portela.

Women: Elena Lloret, Lucía González, Belén López, Anna Sanchis, Elisabet Bru, Alicia González, Ziortza Isasi, Lierni Lekuona, Lourdes Oyarbide, Sheyla Gutiérrez, Christina Alcalde, Dorleta Eskamendi, Irene San Sebastián and Ane Santesteban.

Team presentation

Euskaltel anno 2012 were today unveiled to the press in a rather subdued team presentation in the Gran Hotel Lakua in the Basque capital of Vitoria. All 23 riders were present, along with staff, Igor González de Galdeano, Euskaltel president Alberto García Erauzkin, Orbea head Jon Fernández, sponsor representatives and a host of local celebrities.

As team presentations go, inspirational speeches were aplenty. Here's what general manager Miguel Madariaga had to say:

"2011 was an unforgettable season for us. We triumphed in all three Grand Tours; the two biggest stages in the Giro, a stage in the Tour with Samu... We'll never forget winning the polkadot jersey. Considering what we represent and what we've achieved on the world stage, we can't disappear".

For a full overview of what the main players had to say, click this link.

Brief: Cyclo-cross worlds

Saying the cyclo-cross world championships could have gone better for the Spanish delegation would be an understatement. The sandy course in the Belgian town of Koksijde took its toll on the juniors as well as the elites, leaving Suárez, Hernández, Larriñaga and co. hoping for better luck next year.

Elite race:

Despite promising showings in World Cup races leading up to the big day, the five Spaniards on the start line failed to deliver. Former mountain bike world champ José Antonio Hermída had a decent run to finish 20th - not bad for an off-roader, while Egoitz Murgoitio - arguably Spain's top rider - crashed right at the start, took a hit to the knee and posted a DNF. Javier Ruiz de Larriñaga, making his fifth appearance at the worlds, didn't find his rhythm and had to settle for 41st, three laps down. The former Kaiku pro was eliminated from the race by the judges upon crossing the line - along with new national champ Isaac Suárez, Orbea rider Aitor Hernández and everyone else bar the 24 first - and was seething when speaking to the press. "I'm pissed off. I don't understand the judges: when was the last time only 24 riders completed the world championships? I don't know why they were so harsh". No matter how harsh the judges were, it was a rather meek performance from the elite men.

Sub-23 race:

Entirely as predicted, Lars Van Der Haar ran away with the under-23 crown, beating Wietse Bosmans by a single second. Jonathan Lastra faired reasonably well to finish 37th at just one lap down, while Pablo Rodríguez finished four places further back. The Gómez brothers, Jon and Iñigo, found the going tougher and finished up 43rd and 45th respectively.

Junior race:

New national champ Kevin Suárez, Isaac's nephew, finished more than five minutes down on Raymond Poulidor's grand-son Mathieu Van Der Pool among the juniors to finish up 33rd. José Manuel Ribera was the Iberian Peninsula's top finished in 32nd, while Jaime Campo placed 49th.

News round-up

• Ricardo García made his Euskaltel bow at the recently-concluded Tour Down Under, deeming himself "satisfied" with his overall performance. While his schedule for the remainder of the year is far from complete at this early stage of the season, the former Orbea rider admits taking part in the Vuelta in August would be a dream. "It would be nice to be included in the team for the Vuelta", he told sprintespecial.blogspot.com. "But hey, I've got a lot of riding to do before embarking on a Grand Tour.
• A new Basque has just turned professional: Pierre Cazaux's training mate Damien Branaa will don the jersey of Burgos 2016 this year after a few injury-plagued years. Click here to read more about the 25-year-old French Basque.
• Upon returning from the training camp in Alicante, the team will pay parish priest of the Church of San Miguel, José Antonio Goitia, a visit, reports the team's website. Riders and staff will offer a signed jersey to the patron saint of the Basque capital - the Virgen Blanca.
• The Basque Country, and the whole of Spain for that matter, will be left without a race on the UCI's cyclo-cross World Cup calendar next year. Igorre, Ibán Mayo's place of birth, were left off the schedule, with Italian capital Rome coming in to replace the cash-strapped Basque race.

Samu to head Andalucía charge

Euskaltel will honour one of the few Spanish stage-races left on the calendar with a star-studded line-up next month. The Vuelta a Andalucía will be held as normal over five days from the 19th to the 23rd of February, and the team will look to put their mark on the event with seven riders from the top shelf.

Samuel Sánchez will lead a team comprised of Igor Antón, Mikel Landa, Egoi Martínez, Juan José Oroz, Pablo Urtasun and Gorka Verdugo, writes esciclismo.es. The riders will take in one individual time trial and several relatively flat stages suited for the sprinters for a total of 635,4 kilometres.

Giro team shaping up

While the fact that Mikel Nieve will lead the team at this year's Giro d'Italia has been known for quite a while already, the name of the riders who'll accompany the featherweight escalador has largely been kept under wraps until now. As the riders were heading out for another day in the saddle in the warmth of Alicante yesterday, the team leaders shed some light on who'll form the crux of the team come May.

Gara reports Miguel Mínguez will return to the site of his breakthrough in 2011, while Jon Izagirre will be given his first taste of three-week action. Amets Txurruka, who's almost exclusively focussed on the Tour in the past, will be one of Nieve's key helpers on a terrain that should suit him more than the French countryside. Iván Velasco will be the other climber designated to aid Nieve in his search for a top ten on general classification, while the rock solid Juan José Oroz will also do his part to ensure the conqueror of Gardeccia keeps out of trouble.

New-boy Adrián Sáez, who made a solid impression at the Tour Down Under recently, is likely to make his Grand Tour bow, while there may also be room for youngsters like Peio Bilbao or perhaps even a fit-again Romain Sicard in the line-up.

Quite a few of the riders doubled up on the Giro and the Vuelta last year, and that's likely to be the case again this season. However, only one rider is likely to go on to the Grand Boucle in July after completing the Giro.

Team's future not worrying "Gerri"

While the team's future post-2012 continues to be the subject of conjecture in Spanish and international media alike, the man responsible for the whole team (on the sporting side anyway) refuses to let it bother him. Gorka Gerrikagoitia cut a relaxed figure at the team's training camp in Alicante when Gara asked for his opinion on the team's current predicament.

"I can't imagine cycling without Euskaltel", he said. "I consider that possibility (the team folding) so remote that I'm only concentrating on doing my job. If we do well, we won't struggle to stay afloat. The UCI's points system is not the most convenient for our team, but our objective is nonetheless to stay on in the WorldTour and give responsibility to riders so they can collect points towards the ranking."

In the hunt for points to boost Euskaltel's standing, the former professional says a good start to the campaign is key.

"It'll be important for us to start well given the changes in the team's structure. If we achieve results early on, the riders' motivation and confidence will grow and the whole team will be able to perform better. Igor (González de Galdeano) is no longer with us and Miguel Madariaga will take the helm, but we should all do our bit to ensure everything goes well. We're all united in this team, and we'll take this project forward."

Injured A Pérez sits out team camp

Álan Pérez has been forced to skip the team's training camp on the Costa Blanca because of a knee complaint.

Various Spanish sources this week report the versatile 29-year-old to be suffering from a mild knee injury. The injury is not expected to hamper the former Orbea rider's season in any meaningful way, but it is apparently still enough to set him out of action.

Pérez is, along with the seven riders who just got home from the Tour Down Under, the only rider missing in action in Alicante. He's likely to be one of the protected riders in the cobbled classics later this year.

Urtasun to spearhead sprint department

Pablo Urtasun will move away from the role as Euskaltel's utility rider and instead become the team's go-to-man in the sprint finishes. So says the team's main DS, Gorka Gerrikagoitia.

Basque newspaper Gara today reports from the team's training camp in Alicante, and says the 31-year-old is now the "fastest rider on the team" in the wake of Koldo Fernández's departure. Urtasun has been seen towing along the team's GC hopefuls in the Grand Tours as well the aforementioned Fernández and Isasi in the sprints ever since his move to the team in January 2009, but his days as a domestique are now evidently over.

The former team CSC stagiare will co-lead the team along with Álan and Rubén Pérez at Paris-Roubaix and the Ronde van Vlaanderen this spring, while he'll channel his energy the rest of the season on securing the team valuable top finishes on the flatter stages in week-long stage-races.

Notoriously underrated throughout his career, the speedy Urdiain, Navarra, native actually has five professional victories to his name, of which two stage-wins in the Vuelta a Asturias stand out. Check out his complete profile here.

2012 team presentation - online!

In a bid to please an ever-increasing fan base, Euskaltel's team presentation on Monday will for the first time be broadcast live over the internet.

The team's website reports this year's presentation will be staged in the Basque Country's capital, Vitoria-Gasteiz. As usual, all riders, staff, local celebrities and scribes will be present to view the class of '12 up close. If you fancy getting up close and personal yourself, click this link on Monday the 30th.

Seguros Bilbao reveal 2012 roster

Basque sub-23 talent-factory Seguros Bilbao have unveiled their class of 2012. The team will count on 18 riders - none born later than 1990 - to bring the outfit success on the national and regional calendar. The former home of the likes of Beñat Intxausti, Jonathan Castroviejo and the Izagirre brothers, will be led by former Euskaltel rider César Solaun as main DS, while erstwhile Orbea and Euskaltel pro Unai Uribarri will act as the team's mechanic.

Full roster:

• Cristobal Sánchez (1990)
• Miguel Abellan (1991)
• Marcos Jurado (1991)
• Alexander Unzueta (1991)
• Eneko Corral (1992)
• Egoitz Fernández (1992)
• Sergio Rodríguez (1992)
• Julen Amézqueta (1993)
• Bernardo Ayusa (1993)
• Aitor Bilbao (1993)
• Angel Camarena (1993)
• Imanol Díaz (1993)
• David Galarreta (1993)
• Alexis Gandía (1993)
• Igor Gómez (1993)
• Victor Guantes (1993)
• Hector Sáez (1993)
• Gotzon Udondo (1993)

GP Induráin update: private sponsors pull out

It was reported last week that traditional Basque one-day classic GP Miguel Induráin might not see the light of day this year due to budgetary shortcomings. Public funding was likely to be reduced and sponsors from the private sector were having trouble coming up with the money needed to stage Navarra's only professional bike race. It now transpires there are no private sponsors. They've all pulled out, reports El Diario de Navarra.

In the coming days, organizers of the race will meet with the director of the Institute of Sport in Navarra to get some clarity on the issue. Head of the institute, Miguel Pozueta, was not giving anything away when speaking to the press a few days ago.

"It's an important race and therefore also an expensive one, but we'll have to talk it over with them (the organizers)", Pozueta said. "The budgetary cuts will affect everyone, them included".

The regional government will continue their backing of the race, but will reduce their support with approximately 10-15%. That means public money will cover just about half the budget. The local cycling club CC Estella, organizers of the hilly classic won last year by Samuel Sánchez, aren't having an easy time finding the other half.

"Private companies don't know if they'll be able to support us, so they prefer to be cautious instead".

Ispaster: Orbea double up on podium

Orbea put two riders on the podium in today's final Basque cyclo-cross race in Ispaster.

As ever, there was no beating Egoitz Murgoitio; the Hirumet rider outclassed his rivals to grab his 13th triumph of the year. Aitor Hernández and Rubén Ruzafa made sure Orbea didn't leave empty handed though by comfortably landing second and third respectively. The duo didn't leave fourth-placed Cofidis pro Arnaud Labbe with much of a chance, distancing the 35-year-old Frenchman with more than 60 seconds, while Aketza Peña closed out the top five a handful of minutes in arrears.

Murgoitio's team-mate Jonathan Lastra came home sixth and thus won the sub-23 classification, while Jaime Campo beat Alex Araburu in the juniors' race.

Hernández and Ruzafa's team-mate, the on-fire Rocío Gamonal, took out the women's race, while Eider Merino again proved strongest among the juniors.

Elite results:

• 1, Egoitz Murgoitio, 1:03:03
• 2, Aitor Hernández, 2:17
• 3, Rubén Ruzafa, 2:41
• 4, Arnaud Labbe, 3:51
• 5, Aketza Peña, 5:00

Sub-23 results:

• 1, Jonathan Lastra

Junior results:

• 1, Jaime Campo
• 2, Alez Araburu
• 3, Simon

Elite women results:

• 1, Rocío Gamonal
• 2, Olatz Odriozola
• 3, Naia Alzola

Women junior results:

• 1, Eider Merino

Tour Down Under stage 6

Euskaltel closed out the Tour Down Under with a battling performance in today's early hours. The sixth and final stage of the WorldTour event wasn't particularly suited to the outfit, what with it's flat, 20-lap, 90km criterium in the streets of Adelaide, but the riders were nonetheless keen to put their mark on the race by featuring in the early breaks.

Gorka Izagirre, who failed to live up to his own lofty standards in yesterday's stage to Willunga, infiltrated the huge, early breakaway that quickly built up a decent lead. The strong-looking break was never likely to succeed though and was duly reeled in without too much of a fuss. Romain Sicard made a late and bold move in the closing stages, but there was no escaping the sprint finish. The dash for the line was as anticipated one for big German Greipel, who led home a 63-man first group. R Pérez and Sáez were part of that group, while Izagirre crossed the line in 91st at 36 seconds. García finished up his first WorldTour race in 110th at 1:05. Sicard was 125th at 4:28, while Urtasun and Cabedo both failed to finish.

These results made for the following final general classification:

• 40, Gorka Izagirre
• 56, Rubén Pérez
• 65, Romain Sicard
• 83, Adrián Sáez
• 91, Ricardo García

The team finished 16th in the teams' classification.