Hernández continues his hot streak in Legazpi

Aitor Hernández (Orbea) continued his streak of dominance in Euskadi cyclocross with his 9th win of the year today in Legazpi. On a relatively dry course, Hernández was able to take another solo win from former Euskaltel teammate Aketza Peña and Spanish Champion Isaac Suarez (Bio-Racer/Caravanas). Javier Ruiz de Larrinaga (MMR-Spuik) was able to take the start today after finishing 2nd yesterday in Amezaga and finished up in 4th place while Josep Betalu (G-Sport) finished in 5th place.

Jonathan Lastra was able to take the win in the U23 category over a trio of Bio-Racer/Caravanas riders in the Gomez twins, Iñigo (2nd) and Jon (4th), while Kevin Suarez finished in 3rd place. Eneko Corrales was able to take a win in the junior men's race. Women's stalwart Olatz Odriozola was able to take the win in the elite women's race over Maite Murguia, who had won big yesterday in Amezaga. Lastly, Lierne Lekuona, who raced the elite women's race at the Koksijde World Cup last weekend, took the junior women's race handily.

Egoitz Murgoitio had a disappointing finish after a promising start at the Roubaix World Cup. Murgoitio was running around 20th place on the 3rd lap when he had a mechanical that forced him to abandon the race. It was yet another disappointing finish for Murgoitio, who has been looking for another good World Cup result after his 15th in Plzen.

Next week promises a showdown between a flying Hernández and Murgoitio at the Superprestigio race in Itsasondo. Murgoitio holds the lead in the Superprestigio series and will be looking to deny Hernández, who has not been able to put a foot wrong lately. Expect Javier Ruiz de Larrinaga to be a more prominent player next week while Jonathan Lastra should be able to cement his lead in the U23 classification.

Photo: Iñaki Azanza

Guerrero - It's a dream to be here

To help lead the "new Euskaltel" in what's sure to be a testing 2013 season, team head Igor González de Galdeano turned to a sports director who's been out of the game for three years and has never coached a top-level team. Don't be fooled though, no one in the sport is questioning Óscar Guerrero's ability - actually, some would say, there are few as capable at what he does as the softly-spoken man from Navarra.

Having only coached Kaiku, Fuerteventura and Contentpolis-AMPO at pro level, leading a bunch of local stars and relatively unknown foreigners at some of the world's biggest races is going to be a monumental change. It's one he relishes, though.

"I've been out of cycling, as far as working with teams go, for three years, so to return, with the local team and a team at the highest level, is very exciting", he told El Pedal de Frodo. "It is a dream come true. Because when I started working as a DS, when I was 19, I always looked up to Euskaltel and dreamt of one day being able to be with that team and direct it from the car. In that sense, now was probably the moment I least expected to be contacted as I've been away for three years. It looked like it was going to be hard to return, but then Igor called me and offered me the chance. I hope to be able to pay him back for the confidence he's shown in me".

Guerrero, dubbed "the best signing by Euskaltel in 2012" by ex-pro Dioni Galparsoro in a recent interview, has been working with Bio-Racer ever since his last team, Contentpolis-AMPO, folded at the end of the 2009 season. Bio-Racer will of course manufacture Euskaltel's jerseys and shorts next year, but if there's any connection between Guerrero joining and Bio-Racer coming on board is unknown.

Euskaltel riders and staff were gathered in Derio this week for the first close-season camp, and he couldn't be happier with how the first get-together panned out.

"I'm very pleased - they welcomed me with open arms", he said. "I've only been here for two or three days, but it already feels like I've been here almost a year. The reception was very good both from the staff, the directors and the riders, some of them who I already know from having worked with them when they were amateurs and professionals. It was very good, I was taken care of and I'm very pleased".

Guerrero will be specifically tasked with leading the foreign signings in the races up north on the continent. Much has been made of the multi-lingual communication within the team this week, but Guerrero doesn't think it will pose any serious problems.

"Most of them speak some English", he said. "We don't have problems with anyone of them, as the Slovenians speak Italian and understand very well Spanish, but we'll be able to work better with them in English. We also have Tarik (Chaoufi) who understands a little bit of French, but he's very lively and will learn Spanish really fast".

Photo: Deia

Aitor Hernández continues breakout season

Aitor Hernández continued his impressive breakout season in Ametzaga today with his 8th win of the cyclocross season at the VIII Trofeo San Andrés Amezaga. Hernández took the race by the scruff of the neck early on and broke away from the field to an impressive solo victory. Today also featured the return of early season star, and hometown favorite, Javier Ruiz de Larrinaga, who had been sidelined for a month with a nagging knee injury following a fall in the race at Muskiz.

On a cool day in Ametzaga, Hernández was able to break away from the pack on lap two and was able to power his way around a relatively dry course. Larrinaga showed that his form is still relatively in tact after his break and was able to break away from U23 rider Jonathan Lastra and Erlantz Uriarte to secure 2nd place, 1'37" down on a flying Hernández, while Lastra was able to beat out Uriarte in a sprint for 3rd place, 1'55" down.

Absent from the proceedings was again Egoitz Murgoitio, who is going to be racing around in and around the famous velodrome at the World Cup in Roubaix, France.

In other races, Maite Murgia was able to dominate the women's race by an astounding 6'47" while Álvaro Carral triumphed in the junior men's race.

Elite Men's results

• 1. Aitor Hernández (Orbea) 1'03'44"
• 2. Javier Ruiz de Larrinaga (MMR - Spuik) +1'37"
• 3. Jonathan Lastra (Hirumet - Taldea) +1'55" (First U23)
• 4. Erlantz Uriarte (Garaje Paco) s.t.
• 5. Josep Besalú (GS Sport) +3'11"

Tomorrow will be the II Telleriarteko Ziklokrossa Legazpia Challenge Federación Vasca in Legazpi, Gipuzkoa. Hernández will be looking for his 9th win of the season, while Larrinaga's start is still tentative because of his knee. In an interview post-race today, Larrinaga stated that he was hopeful to start tomorrow but he did not want to overextend himself.

Photo: RFEC/Orbea

Samu eyes Worlds crown

Samuel Sánchez González has come a long way since joining Orbea's predecessor Olarra-Ercoreca as a fresh-faced, humble 18-year-old back in 1996. Podiums and stages in the Tour and Vuelta, a climber's jersey at the former, multiple stage-winner and overall victor in the Vuelta al País Vasco, the last winner of the Züri Metzgete and of course that Olympic Gold of 2008; his palmarès is as strong as it is diversified. What it obviously lacks though, is a rainbow jersey or a medal at the World Championships - which he of course has come oh so close to on a number of occasions.

Speaking to El Mundo Deportivo, the 34-year-old revealed it's still one of his biggest dreams.

"(To be a world champion) is one of the dreams I have", he said. "I really like the World Championships. I would love to retire with a rainbow jersey. It will be difficult, but I've had the legs for it in past years, and I think I'll have the legs for it for a few years more.

"This year's worlds, to be held in Florence, is very hard and well-suited to the Spanish team. I know they'll do a loop of the circuit in the Giro d'Italia - then we'll really know that it's going to be like", he said, perhaps hinting a return to the Giro - a race he hasn't done since 2005 - is on the cards.

Former Spanish team coach and ex-pro Francisco "Paco" Antequera is currently running for the presidency of the Spanish Cycling Federation, and has stated he'd like to install newly-retired triple world champ Óscar Freire as the coach of the Spanish team if he does go on to win. Samu reveals he'd be pleased to see such a scenario pan out.

"Óscar is the man with the most experience of the world champs, and if he'll be there with Paco Antequera, the man behind Óscar's three triumphs and my Olympic gold, it would be perfect. I hope Antequera does well in the elections, and I've personally called him to wish him luck", he said.

The Euskaltel captain once again revealed he's yet to decide on which Grand Tours to do in 2013, and a decision isn't likely to come before the Vuelta route is unveiled.

Video wrap

The first team get-together of the close-season always means a bunch of videos of the riders released in the Basque media. Below you'll find a small selection of what's worth seeing:

Igor González de Galdeano, Samuel Sánchez and co. give their opinion on the training camp and the season ahead (Eitb):




Watch new signing Juan José Lobato give his first interviews as an Euskaltel rider. Here he discusses 2013, the foreigners and Google Translate (Deportes Tele 7):
   



Watch Euskaltel visit Real Sociedad's Anoeta Stadium, exchange jerseys and eat lunch (Real Sociedad):

Link to video: http://www.diariovasco.com/videos/deportes/real-sociedad/1997396952001-euskaltel-euskadi-visita-real.html

And, if you feel like doing some reading, click this link for a short but interesting interview with Russian Alexandre Serebryakov. It's worth a read.

Herrero joins Etxebarría at Baqué

Remember this fellow, the guy who used to get Euskaltel fans purring over his precocious talent and all-round ability? David Herrero Llorente, who took in two spells at the team before retiring in the Karpin-Galicia jersey at the tender age of 30 in the winter of 2009, will make a return to the cycling world after having been away for three years. Well, "away" might not be the best word, seeing as he's been working on the technical side of the sport with BH, Gebiomized and others ever since calling it quits. Next year, he'll be back in the amateur ranks with Cafés Baqué, where he'll work with biomechanics.

Herrero was a victim of the hard line set by Igor González de Galdeano back in 2007, leading an high-profile exodus from the team alongside the likes of Ibán Mayo, Iker Camaño and DS and icon Julián Gorospe. Allegedly the two parties couldn't reach an agreement over wages, and the Bilbao-born rider was forced to join Pro Continental outfit Karpin-Galicia.

At Karpin he showed glimpses of what he was made of with a handful of victories, including a stage at the Vuelta al País Vasco, but was forced to call it quits at the end of 2009, being left with no team after an injury-plagued couple of years.

Now he'll join former Euskaltel riders David Etxebarría and Xabier Artetxe at the traditional Basque amateur team. As well as announcing the hiring of Llorente, Cafés Baqué also revealed six new signings:

Iñigo Ojeda, Paul Usabel Lizundia and Eduardo Armengol Gonzalo come over from Koplad-Uni2, 18-year-old cyclo-cross talent Jonathan Bilbao joins from Gastronomía Baska, Antonio Angulo switches from Azysa-Telco'm-Conor and Alex García has prolonged his contract with Baqué.

"I'm still young, but the years are passing by"

Escape artist and climber Miguel Minguez had a somewhat unsatisfying third year with Euskaltel. While he made a name for himself at the Giro, it was more for finishing up dead last than for his trio of breakaways. And while he hit form towards the end of the campaign with two strong performances in Québec and Montréal, his season was cut short by a fall at the Il Lombardia and a DNF at the Tour of Beijing.

Looking towards 2013, the bilbaíno hopes to take a step or two in the right direction - but admits start winning bike races is a tall order.

"It would be very difficult (to take my first triumph next year)", he told El Pedal de Frodo. "First you have to try to change the mentality, train hard and well and take a step ahead both physically and quality-wise. While I'm still young, it's also true the years are passing by", said the 24-year-old.

"I hope to take a step forward next year, though, and, if it's possible, a big step forward rather than a small one. Also being confident and feel good physically so that I can help the team as much as possible. I am young, and I don't have any concrete objectives, but at least I'm setting myself small goals".

The former Orbea rider has done the Italina GT for the last two years, but hopes to take on another three-week race in 2013.

"I'd love to do the Vuelta", he admitted. "I think it'll be really hard, seeing as there's likely to be tough competition for places on that team, but it's my dream".

As all the other riders on the team, Minguez's racing schedule for next year is yet to be confirmed. The recently-concluded training camp in Derio, Vizcaya, was more about getting to know the new riders on the team, and Minguez is sure the nine new riders have a lot to contribute.

"It was a very good get-together", he said. "It was different from other years with all the new guys. But everything went well. They have another mentality, and I think we can learn a lot from them and vice versa.

They're not riders with big names, but that's because they've been in Continental teams. They've won a lot of races, and in general they seem to be strong sprinters. I think they'll improve the team. I also think the fans will welcome them. All in all it's good for the team, for Euskaltel, for the local team, and I think they will accept it. It's thanks to them we've acquired enough points to be able to ride the Tour, the Giro and the Vuelta. I think the fans will cheer for them, and hopefully they'll cheer us up to!".

Chaoufi - People thought I lied about Euskaltel move

Tarik Chaoufi will be the first Moroccan ever to ride for a European team when he dons the orange jersey of Euskaltel next year. For his compatriots, a Moroccan being signed by a WorldTour team sounded more like a joke than the truth. After having a translator from Kuwait come over to the team's training camp in Derio yesterday to aid his integration into the team, Chaoufi gave his first interview that can be read in today's Deia and Noticias de Gipuzkoa. Here, he speaks of how no one believed him when he announced he was going to join the world elite.

"People said I was lying", he revealed. "They said it wasn't possible that a European team had contacted me. My mother was happy for me, though, and told me she would come up with the money if I needed it.

"I remember I couldn't sleep the night I got the call from Euskaltel. I thought that this couldn't possibly be happening. How could a European team sign me? I couldn't believe it. The head of the national team brought me the news. And, for sure, I knew about Euskaltel - I'd watched them in the Tour. In the Maghreb (the region he hails from), Samuel Sánchez is very famous because of what he's achieved in that race, but also because he's the Olympic champion."

As many an athlete from the African country, the 26-year-old from Azrou started out as a runner. Azrou is at 1400 metres of altitude, so no prizes for guessing what kind of rider Chaoufi regards himself as.

"I'm a climber", he confirmed. "I like the mountains - I've climbed them since I was a little kid. I always train in the mountains. For a kid living in Azrou, you spend your time studying, doing sports, helping out your parents. I decided to quit school at 16 because I wanted to become a cyclist. I've always liked the bike, and back then you had to travel a lot in order to compete. To Casablance, to Agadir... I couldn't combine riding with my studies, so I opted for the bike.

"My father died when I was a kid - I can't remember him. But my mum encouraged me to do it (give cycling a go). She always supports me. Right from the beginning she was always urging me to do races. I got my first bike from my uncle, who lives in France. That was a mountain bike, but my mum bought me my first road bike. She's got a shop that sells baby clothes in Azrou, and the shop's doing well. She also provided me with the money I needed to register for races.

"As a kid, I dreamed of being like Armstrong, Ullrich, Beloki... As there was no electricity, TV or anything in Azrou, I used to take my bike to a cafeteria in a village nearby to see them ride the Tour. Ten years ago, there was no electricity in my small home town. We still don't have internet! All the lights therefore amazed me when I first got here (Spain). The roads as well - all that."

As a muslim, the winner of the UCI African Tour rankings naturally celebrates Ramadan. He doesn't think it will affect his racing all that much though.

"I'm muslim, but I'm not very religious - I haven't prayed once since I came to the Basque Country! I don't eat pork, but that's also the only thing I don't eat. I have no problem with the rest of the food. As I said, I'm not very strict on it. But I do celebrate Ramadan. In Morocco there are no races on during the month of Ramadan, but I still have to keep training. What I'll do if a race in Europe coincides with Ramadan? Hm, I don't know. I'll do what the team tells me to do. But if I have to race, I don't think I'll do it (Ramadan) and I'll ride instead - if not, it would be very complicated."

During the first few days of the team's training camp in Derio, which wraps up today, Chaoufi struggled to communicate as he only speaks Arab and only understands a bit of French. After his translator joined him though, he sat down with Basque TV channel Eitb for a short interview. Watch it below:


  Photo: Gabon review

Sánchez confirms País Vasco goal

While the speculation over which Grand Tours Samuel Sánchez will be contesting in 2013 continues to rumble on, one thing appears clear: the Vuelta al País Vasco is not in jeopardy for the reigning champion no matter what GT solution he settles on.

"The intention is to do the Tour, of course", he told BiciCiclismo. "The 2012 edition left me bitter: we had a very nice Tour ahead of us where we could do great things, and overnight I was watching it on TV. It's the best race in the world, and I want to avenge what happened this year. So I won't say 'no' to the Tour now.

"But it's very difficult to be at the top at the Tour and then again at the Vuelta. This year, Valverde was not at his best in France but in top shape in Spain, while the opposite was the case for Froome. I think it would be hard for me. If you want to do two good Grand Tours, a Giro-Vuelta double is the most feasible - like Joaquim Rodríguez did this year and Alberto Contador in 2008".

While an announcement on Samu's 2013 schedule isn't likely before the Vuelta recorrido in unveiled, he did confirm he won't miss out on the team's home race.

"Yes, I'll be at the Vuelta al País Vasco - it's a talismanic race for me: seven stage victories and four podiums; one triumph, one second and two thirds. It's "my" race, and it's a race I want to do. It's the local race. My friends and fans will be there, I know every pothole and curve. It's always nice (to do that race)."

Photo: Cyclingnews

Bravo eyeing Giro debut

New Euskaltel rider Garikoitz Bravo is not aiming to ease his way into competition in his first year at WorldTour level. The 23-year-old, long tipped for a move to Euskaltel, will start off the year in January at the Tour Down Under, before going on to the Tour Méditerranéen. Later on, he's got his eyes fixed on taking on his first Grand Tour - and, if it's up to him, it's not the Tour de France.

"It's a goal for me to do a GT", he told Gara. "I'd love to finally be able to do one, and preferably the Giro. The Giro is the three-week race that attracts me the most. In 2012 I only had the option to do the Vuelta, and I wasn't picked. In 2013 I'll have the chance to do one, though, and I'd like to give it a try. At the Tour of Portugal in 2011 I finished really well, and I felt it was a bit short. I'd love to do a big one, knowing that I have to prepare well for the body to last the three weeks".

Bravo makes the move to his local team from Caja Rural, a team he just finished his third year with. As anyone leaving that team, he seems saddened at leaving the green-clad team behind.

"My time there was really good", he said. "I'd recommend anyone who's got the chance to join that team to do it. I felt at home, they treated me well, there's nothing negative to say. They bet on me since I was young, and I'm very grateful to Juanma Hernández and Floren Eskisabel. I spent six years with them as a youth rider, sub-23 and as a professional, so it'll be weird to see myself in orange".

And how has the experience at the team's training camp in Derio been so far?

"So far, chapeau! I've wanted to join this team for many years, and now I've made it. The concentration has amazed me. They're always watching over us. The first day, us new guys passed all kinds of medical check-ups; with dentists, optometrists, electrocardiograms... They want to make sure we don't start off the season with any problems. You can tell it's a serious team at the top level".

The team camp has been the first chance for the Basques to meet the foreigners signed this off-season, and so far they've communicated in a mixture of English, Italian, Slovenian, Spanish and Basque. They'll all be making an effort to learn Spanish, though - and the sooner the better, according to 'Gari'.

"I knew half of the guys from before, and I can understand the foreigners if they speak English. But to really get to know them is difficult. They have to learn the language we use in the team, castellano, rapidly, as they're all great guys".

Insausti makes move to "best amateur team"

Jon Ander Insausti, the 19-year-old Basque phenomenon tipped for future greatness, will leave Bidelan-Kirolgi in favour of Caja Rural's amateur outfit in time for the 2013 season, hoping to further his dream of turning pro in 2014.

The versatile former Seguros Bilbao rider, equally adept in the mud as on the tarmac, announced as much on his Facebook account Monday afternoon, saying it was a "very difficult decision to reach", but that is was his best option. In an emotional message to his friends and team-mates, he thanked everything and everyone for their support. Speaking to Basque Cycling News, Ion and Gorka Izagirre's cousin reiterated it's tough leaving behind his "family".

"Yes, it's hard. It was like a family - everyone there made it an incredible family. We always worked for each other in the races and helped each other out. It's been an amazing year", he said.

Insausti joined the team directed by former pro and Euskaltel sports director Jon Odriozola ahead of the 2012 season, having spent his first year in the amateur category with Seguros Bilbao. He racked up a bunch of victories in the season that just concluded, among them two Torneo Lehendakari races, a stage at the Vuelta a Segovia, the Euskadi sub-23 time trial champs and the Gipuzkoan crono crown. Naturally he harboured hopes of joining the pro ranks this year, but as that didn't materialize, Caja Rural was the next logical step.

"For the moment, Caja Rural is the best amateur team in Spain", he said. "They have the best calendar of races, the best material, the best riders... They're the best. No other team can offer me what they are. And as well they have a professional team, which you can ride for if you perform throughout the season. As with every rider, turning professional is my dream!"

The affable youngster reiterates his goal for next year is to turn pro, but readily admits it'll be "very, very difficult".

"I'll work hard to make it. But if it doesn't happen next year, I'll still continue to try. My aim is also to become a rider capable of winning the biggest races, a rider the others can have confidence in. Of course, I also want to progress next year.

"As for the riders at Caja Rural, I know most of them already. I don't know all the first-year riders, but the rest I do. I have very good friends at that team: Ramón Domene, Jesús Alberto Rubio, Ibai Salas, Fernando Grijalba and others. I think we'll make a great team!"

Photo: Seguros Bilbao

Trio set for Tour Down Under bow

Euskaltel fans will get an early opportunity to get acquainted with the team's new signings next year: Garikoitz Bravo (pictured above), Jon Aberasturi and Juan José Lobato are all in line to debut in the orange jersey at January's first WorldTour race in Australia.

According to the excellently-informed Deia, the three of them are all likely to make the long travel, and will be accompanied by the Izagirre brothers, who should find the course to their liking, as well as Juan José Oroz and Mikel Astarloza. The latter is of course a former winner of the event, having taken his only professional victory in his career at the 2003 edition.

While the team heads and the riders are trying to piece together a tentative racing schedule at the ongoing team concentration in Derio, it's still yet to be decided which of the team's GC riders do which Grand Tour. According to the same paper, Samu has intimated he wants to do the Tour again - which, if confirmed, is slightly surprising, as a Giro-Vuelta double has been mooted for some time. Galdeano is said to be eager to see what Nieve can do at the French GT though, while it's still up in the air what Antón will focus on at this moment in time. What has been decided is that each of them will double up on GCs next year.

The picture is slightly clearer with the Izagirres: Gorka will be back to do the Tour in July, while Ion will take on the Vuelta, and only the Vuelta, after this year's Giro heroics.

In further news coming out of the get-together in Derio, it seems Euskaltel will adopt a model used by many WorldTour teams in 2013: each rider will have one specific sports director to work with - reminiscent of the model used by Team Sky for instance. New DS Óscar Guerrero will be in charge of the riders set to focus on the races and classics in Northern Europe (which is mainly the foreigners), while Samu will work with Gorka Gerrikagoitia, Nieve with Álvaro González de Galdeano, Antón with one or the other.

Picture: Caja Rural

Interview: Dioni Galparsoro

Not every rider gets two chances to ride for his home team. Along with Egoi Martínez, Dioni Galparsoro was one of the lucky few. Coming out of the talent factory that was Óscar Guerrero's amateur Caja Rural team at the turn of the century, the gifted native of Ataun, Gipuzkoa, joined his local team when it was at the top of its game with Ibán Mayo, Haimar Zubeldia, Roberto Laiseka et al. in 2003.

After two highly decent, if a tad unspectacular, years playing second fiddle to some of the biggest names to come out of the Basque Country, the then-26-year-old decided to step down a level, teaming up once again with Óscar Guerrero at the much-loved Kaiku team for 2005 and 2006. After a couple of years which saw him take a pair of wins and consistently display his climbing legs and all-round ability, he was once again back in the orange fold in time for the 2007 season. For the ensuing two years he rode the Giro d'Italia and racked up a bunch of healthy placings in domestic races, before waving goodbye yet again to a team then led by Igor González de Galdeano to close out his career with a year at that man Guerrero's Contentpolis-AMPO team also featuring a certain young hopeful named Gorka Izagirre.

After having been out of the game for three years, Basque Cycling News decided to see what the former fans favourite was up to these days, and to discuss Guerrero's arrival at a much-changed Euskaltel.

Question: You retired at the end of the 2009 season. What are you up to now?

Answer: Now I work as a commercial technician in an industrial machinery company.

Q: Do you still follow cycling?

A: Not too much, mainly just the biggest ones (the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España) and when my schedule allows it. But I do keep in touch with my cycling friends to see how they're doing.

Q: Your cycling career was a bit atypical: you signed for Euskalte in 2003, left two years later, then came back another two years after that. Can you tell us how that happened

A: My second season with Euskaltel (2004) was very good, especially at the start when I was fighting for the wins in hard races with top-level riders. I don't think Euskaltel valued the improvements I'd made enough, or that the offer they made me was up to my level at the time. That, and the fact Óscar Guerreo was creating a new team, made me leave the team.

Dionisio with long-term mentor, sports director and friend Óscar Guerrero.

Q: Looking back, are you pleased with your career as a whole?

A: I honestly think I could have done more, but I didn't have too much luck on my side at certain moments of my career.

Q: What was your best moment?

A: On a sporting level, the second year at Kaiku. On a personal level, both my years at that team.

Q: Do you miss cycling?

A: I don't miss competitive cycling. But I do miss the good times cycling gave me, friendships, making trips to the south to train when it was cold here, the excitement you feel ahead of new challenges... that sort of things I do miss.

Q: What were the main differences between Kaiku and Euskaltel - apart from the level of races, obviously?

A: Basically, Kaiku was a team with a small budget but with great enthusiasm, much camaraderie, a lot of passion for the bike, an eagerness to do things well, much clarity, much democracy... At Euskaltel, I think they could have done things differently.

Q: What do you think of Euskaltel's decision to hire Guerrero as a sports director next year?

A: I think it's the best signing they've done in years. And I don't say that because he's a friend of mine, I say it because it's the truth.

Q: What were your years in the amateur ranks like? At that time, Caja Rural was a really potent team, right?

A: Yeah. Jorge Azanza was there, Egoi Martínez, Gorka Verdugo, Pablo Urtasun, Aitor Pérez... We were a pretty strong group, yeah.

Q: You won the Memorial Valenciaga - a very prestigious race - in 2002, beating, among others, Iñigo Urretxua (current Naturgas Energía DS), David López García, Rubén Pérez, Luis Pasamontes, etc. How did that race unfold?

A: It was a very easy day. I went on the last climb, and Urretxua got on my wheel. Later, a small group joined us from behind, but I managed to win the sprint, which was on a gentle rise. It was a very nice day.

Q: You picked up two wins with Kaiku in 2005 - was it your best year?

A: It wasn't bad, but at that time I wanted more. I had a throat operation in the middle of that year, and that stopped me from doing even better.

Galparsoro rates his years at Kaiku as his most enjoyable - no wonder with that kit.

Q: On the whole, how was your life as a professional cyclist? Was it like you expected?

A: When you were young you started to dream when you saw your idols, and you thought that that world had to be marvelous. Later, there's youth, inexperience, a need to show what you can do, you're in a hurry... and other factors that doesn't really allow you to fully enjoy the professional world. I consider myself lucky to have been able to live that dream, but I don't miss that life.

Q: How was your experience with Euskaltel?

A: It had a little bit of everything: good moments, average ones, bad ones... I'd say that, during the first stage (with Julián Gorospe at the helm), we were more of a local team. During the second, with Igor González de Galdeano, it was a different mentality. Everything was a bit more meticulous, surely because during that time span, cycling changed its way of working.

Galparsoro spent four years and did two Giri d'Italia with Euskaltel - but took his only professional triumphs with Kaiku.

Q: And what do you think of the team's decision to abandon its philosophy?

A: I think it's legitimate that a private company invests the money at its disposal as it sees fit. Though I don't agree with it, I understand it. Years ago, I think supporters of the Basque Country would have criticized this change. But unfortunately, with all the damage that's been done to the sport, I don't think people will care all that much if Euskaltel sign Basques, Catalans or riders from China.

Q: And, finally, what do you make of Lance's sanction? Was it just?

A: Not looking at whether he doped or not, Armstrong was one of a kind, a genius. It's like you asking me whether I consider it fair that they remove a painting by Dalí from the Museo del Prado because he painted it under the influence of a psychoactive drug that was forbidden... Only a genius could have done what he did - someone who's not, couldn't.

Galdós ousts Maté for Memorial Clavero win

Aitor Galdós might not be hitting the highs of yesteryear and is set to retire after the season, but the 33-year-old showed signs of life on Saturday as he claimed the 21st running of the traditional off-season race Memorial Isabel Clavero in Las Rozas, just outside Madrid.

The former Euskaltel, Ceramica Panaria and Nippo-Hoddo sprinter, and now also formerly of Caja Rural as his contract won't be extended, escaped about halfway through with Cofidis' local hero Luis Ángel Maté. The duo stayed away, and the Ermua native just about edged out Maté to the line, avenging his second place of four years ago. Fellow Basque and erstwhile team-mate Koldo Fernández de Larrea grabbed third.

This year's race paid tribute to former rider Juan Carlos Vicario and José Manuel Fernández, former head of equipment producer Spiuk. Both passed away earlier this year.

A whole host of current pros were present - click on this link to view an image gallery.

Photo: Caja Rural