Euskaltel duo fail to finish Worlds

Only two of six Basques managed to cross the finish line at the recent UCI Road World Championships.

Samuel Sánchez and Egoi Martínez both failed to finish the elite men's race, the duo both doing their work for team leaders Alejandro Valverde and Joaquim Rodríguez before the big finale. 'Samu' hardly looked to be on his a game (and eventually crashed out), while Martínez did as the majority of the Spaniards early on and stayed out of the limelight.

One Basque who did reach the line - and with some bravado - was the ever-reliable Jonathan Castroviejo. The Movistar rider took valuable pulls on the front and eventually crossed the line in 48th, eight minutes down on victor and team-mate Rui Costa.

In the sub-23 race, both Mikel Iturria and Haritz Orbe failed to complete the race. The duo both did what they were asked to - especially the former, who set the pace at the front for some time - but both eventually posted DNFs as Spain's challenge faltered spectacularly.

In the junior men's race, young Caja Rural prodigy Alex Aranburu enjoyed a solid debut. The youngster, equally at ease in the mud as on the road, modestly told this website only days before the race that his goal was to finish the race "and do my best", and he duly succeeded by being the nation's top finisher in 47th - four minutes back on Mathieu van der Poel.

Photo: Orbea

Iparragirre makes a name for himself in China

The Equipo Euskadi sprinter grabbed his best result of the year in what is possibly his last race as a professional at the Tour of China II on Monday.

The likely collapse of the Basque Continental team may leave a lot of the team's riders on the metaphorical street come 2014. Iparragirre, having signed a one-year deal prior to this year, has steadily built up a reputation as a sprinter to be reckoned with in his first year among the pros, but the 25-year-old track specialist told Basque Cycling News only last month that no teams had enquired about his services for 2014 and beyond.

The native of Azpeitia, Gipuzkoa, did his chances of landing a ride for next year no harm in China, though, finishing the race in third overall. What's more, he grabbed second, third and fourth on stages.

The team, having taken out the team classification at the Tour of China I, emerged victorious in the combined team rankings to close out their first race in Asia on a high.

Final general classification:

• (1, Alois Kankovsky (ASC Dukla Praha), 18:17:58)
• 3, Unai Iparragirre, 0:20
• 15, Aritz Bagües, 0:33
• 32, Mikel Bizkarra, 3:42
• 55, Illart Zuazubiskar, 3:44
• 75, Mikel Aristi, s.t.
• 86, Jon Larrinaga, s.t.

While a bunch of riders competed in China, an Euskadi contingent also took part in the Tour du Gévaudan - the race, as usual, being the team's last competitive outing of the year.

Naturgas Energía duo Loïc Chetout and Víctor Etxberría were supposed to be given their first chance with the team, but in the end only the latter joined up. Chetout, the team's standout rider this season, crashed last week and didn't recover in time to line up for his first pro race.

In his place, Haritz Orbe stole the headlines for the team with his fourth place finish on the second and last stage.

"We weren't on our guard on day one, but we were active and present in the breaks the following day", team DS Aritz Arberas told the team's website. "We were strong - Orbe came in fourth. With this race and the Tour of China done and dusted with, Equipo Euskadi have finished its season".

Final general classification:

• (1, Yoann Bagot (Cofidis), 8:24:41)
• 20, Igor Merino, 5:34
• 53, Víctor Etxeberría, 19:37
• 56, Carlos Barbero, 21:48
• 69, Haritz Orbe, 35:37

Photo: Fundación Ciclista Euskadi

Rumour mill round-up: Nieve to Sky, Sánchez negotiating with Saxo

With the Alonso-Euskaltel deal falling through, every Euskaltel rider is suddenly back on the market.

That's except for Gorka Izagirre, of course, who's already signed with Movistar. According to various reports, his brother Ion is desperate to join up with him. Ion naturally has no shortage of offers, but it's believed he's more keen to stay in Spain than move abroad. The pressing question is if Movistar has a spot open for him. Only today, Eusebio Unzúe signed John Gadret. Expect a deal to be reached between the two parties rather quickly if a contract is indeed put on the table.

According to the 'twittersphere' and the usually reliable guys over at BiciCiclismo, Mikel Nieve is on the verge of joining Sky. Samuel Sánchez on his part is said to be negotiating with Riis and Contador at Saxo-Tinkoff, but the Euskaltel icon has naturally not commented on the rumours in person.

Speaking to BiciCiclismo on Friday, he even said that "it wouldn't be a big drama" if he was to retire come the end of the season.

Read that article here.

Juan José Lobato is allegedly close to inking a deal with Cofidis, while Igor Antón is said to be fighting with Jan Bakelants and Thomas de Gendt over the last spot available at Omega Pharma-QuickStep.

Ioannis Tamouridis, currently at the Worlds in Florence, claims he's received no offers whatsoever, but several Pro Continental teams are said to be keen to take on the Greek.

Photo: BCPT

New Basque team in the making

To make up for the disappearance of Euskaltel Euskadi and the Continental-ranked Equipo Euskadi, the Basque Cycling Federation is working on setting up a new team for next year.

According to the president of the federation, José Luis Arrieta, the team is likely to consist of 16 to 20 riders (all under the age of 25), have a Continental or Pro Continental license, and a budget in the range of 1,5-2 million euro.

According to BiciCiclismo, the team's goal is to eventually participate in the biggest races on the domestic calendar - including the Vuelta a España, Vuelta al País Vasco and the Clásica San Sebastián.

"Yes, I think the team is viable", he told Radio Euskadi. "It's feasible, it's possible. Hopefully we'll be able to register the team with UCI in time. Ideally we'd be Pro Continental, but if not we'll take it step by step. What's pivotal is to create a group of riders, maintain the motivation and to have a decent budget".

Basque Cycling News will naturally have more on this case as it develops.

Euskaltel riders voice their dismay; Euskaltel hit back

The Euskaltel riders weren't overly happy to receive the news of the team failing to reach an agreement with Fernando Alonso's men on Monday.

According to various sources, the riders let their frustration and anger known at a meeting with the telephone company. Mikel Astorkiza, Euskaltel's corporate director, was allegedly in the firing line, with the riders understandably at a loss to figure out how a deal was not reached when Euskaltel wanted to sell and Alonso wanted to buy.

Only a few days later, Euskaltel decided to hit back at the critics.

In an at times strongly-worded press release, the team's long-standing sponsor denied they were at fault for the breakdown in negotiations and reserved the right to "take legal action to defend itself against false accusations".

The telephone company claims it's not true that they requested any sort of financial compensation from Alonso's men. What's more, they claim talks didn't reach a standstill over where the team was to be situated, and that the differing tax laws in Euskadi and Asturias were not an issue that hindered the negotiations.

More significantly, and contrary to reports, the dispute over the contracts of the team's backroom staff and sport directors were not the reason for the tentative agreement reached on August 31 being broken.

All in all, Euskaltel say they didn't hinder a deal being reached whatsoever, which begs the question what actually happened at the meetings between the two parties.

Alonso's men haven't offered an explanation as of yet, while Euskaltel still maintain that negotiations are confidential and thus should be kept away from the public eye.

Photo: BCPT

Castroviejo "satisfied" with Worlds TT

Jonathan Castroviejo missed out on his pre-race goal but was still a happy man after finishing the World Championships Individual Time Trial in Florence.

The Movistar rouleur had hoped for a top ten prior to the race but eventually had to make do with 14th, more than three minutes down on winner Tony Martin.

Post-race, he said he was pleased considering the circumstances.

"I'm really pleased with how I felt, but it's hard for me on a route like this", he told the Spanish Cycling Federation's website. "Riders with my weight have to do almost double the effort on a course like this to be up there with the best, but still the likes of me, Porte and Kwiatkowski were relatively close.

"My goal was to finish inside the top ten, and the difference between fifth and my position was for large parts no more than half a minute. We got close, and I'm happy with the outcome".

While Castroviejo was the only Basque on show in Florence on Wednesday, another rider with close ties to the Basque Country took to the course as well.

The man in question was naturally Ioannis Tamouridis. The Greek champion wasn't on his best day, though, and eventually came through for 44th.

Photo: www.zimbio.com

Antón - Hopefully Omega Pharma are still keen

Igor Antón is back on the market after yesterday's news of the deal between Fernando Alonso and Euskaltel collapsing.

The ace climber, who only last week went public on regional television that he was happy to stay with the team into 2014 and beyond, is one of the lucky few on the team that will have no trouble finding a ride for next year. Prior to the news in early September that Alonso intended to buy the team's license, Antón was close to signing with Belgian powerhouse team Omega Pharma-QuickStep.

Three weeks on, he can only hope there's still interest on Patrick Lefevere's part.

"Now we have to pick up the negotiations we put to rest when we thought the team was going to continue", he tells Cobbles&Hills. "I think I had several options earlier, but I realize it might not be that easy now.

"Hopefully Omega Pharma-QuickStep will come calling. It's a team I've always liked, and it's a team of the highest standard - they showed that in Sunday's team time trial in Florence. I'm fond of that team, and they'll attack the three-week races with the signing of Rigoberto Urán. I could fit in there. Time will tell if they're still interested and if they've got a spot open for me".

Realizing the cycling 'transfer market' has been in full swing for almost two months already, the Galdakano native isn't demanding too much from his potential suitors.

"Having to find a team now is bad for me, and I'm aware it won't be like three weeks ago. What I'm hoping to find is a place on a WorldTour team. It it's a one-year contract, that's fine. Stay in the WorldTour, a transitional year, and then show I'm worthy of a longer contract.

"I still don't know where I'll end up, but I'm not asking for more than 12 months to show what I've got".

Photo: BCPT

Official report: Euskaltel and Alonso fail to reach an agreement

Euskaltel Euskadi will soon be history after both the team and the Formula 1 star revealed negotiations over the latter's purchase of the team and its license have been broken off for good.

Several reports over the weekend claimed talks between the parties were proceeding slowly, but both the team and Alonso's men sounded optimistic a deal might be struck eventually. In a press release issued on Monday afternoon, though, telecommunications company Euskaltel revealed they've pulled out of the negotiations and that the team will fold after all come the end of 2013.

"Negotiations between Euskaltel and Alonso's representatives over the latter's acquisition of Euskaltel Euskadi - started on August 31 with the signing of a pre-agreement - have come to an end without an agreement being reached", the statement reads.

"We can't hide out disappointment about the final outcome of the negotiations. It's a sad day for Euskaltel and the team after expectations were raised following the agreement reached in principle at the end of August and the public statements made at the time by Fernando Alonso and his representatives".

Euskaltel refused to reveal why the talks reached a standstill and eventually fell through, saying "we would like to reveal the details as we, with all sincerity, did our utmost, but the confidentiality of the negotiations have to be respected".

Euskaltel are adamant they did "everything within their powers to reach an agreement without setting any type of economic pre-conditions".

As reported on earlier, the talks are thought to have hinged on Alonso's reluctance to take on the team's backroom staff and sponsors, as well as the difficulties in moving the team from its base in the Basque Country to the less tax-friendly region of Asturias.

Alonso's representatives didn't comment on where the talks stranded either, simply saying "we tried until the very end, but we won't be able to lead a cycling team in 2014". Writing on Twitter, the Spanish star added they're already working on setting up a team for 2015, though.

As a consequence of the deal being called off, Euskaltel's riders are again back on the job market. Only Gorka Izagirre of the current riders have already left the team, meaning 26 riders will need to pick their phones up quickly in the hope of securing a ride for next year.

Neither the riders nor the team heads have yet to comment on today's news.

Photo: www.mrwallpaper.com

Iturria - Everything went wrong at Worlds

Young Basque prodigy Mikel Iturria's World Championships bow didn't go entirely according to plan on Monday.

The Equipo Euskadi rider was one of two Spaniards selected to ride the sub-23 time trial in Florence, and neither rider performed up to expectations.

Cantabrian Mario González, fresh off a stellar season with Cafés Baqué-Conservas Campos, came in 37th, while Iturria ended up a more distant 67th, a full seven and a half minutes down on victor Damien Howson.

It wasn't exactly the Worlds debut Iturria had been hoping for.

"Everything went wrong today", he told the Spanish Cycling Federation's website upon completing the race of truth. "I wasn't feeling good, and it didn't get better as we got underway".

A long, flat time trial was hardly ideal terrain for the gangly climber, but Wednesday's road race is likely to suit the young native of Urnieta, Gipuzkoa, a lot more.

Report: Alonso-Euskaltel deal close to falling through

It was a week ago reported that the team of Fernando Alonso were starting to get worried over the time it was taking to reach a deal with Euskaltel Euskadi and their WorldTour license holder. Seven days later, the Spanish press claim negotiations have reached a complete standstill.

As a consequence, the deal may very well not happen at all and Euskaltel Euskadi may, after all, indeed cease to exist come the end of the current season.

The sticking point in the negotiations is still the contracts of the backroom staff and the team's current sponsors. Euskaltel want Alonso's team to take on everything they've got - which includes contracts with equipment providers Orbea and Bio Racer, the team's vehicle fleet and the contracts of soigneurs and sport directors - while the Formula 1 star appears keen to only take on the 14 riders under contract and put together his own staff and team of sponsors.

According to sports daily AS, Alonso and co. have a deal tied up with a new main sponsor for the coming four years. Various reports have it that this sponsor is Italian car manufacturer FIAT.

Euskaltel's problem, though, is that both Orbea and Bio Racer have another year running on their current deals with the team.

AS claim that Alonso's team have all but given up on coming to an agreement, while the Euskaltel heads see it as "increasingly unlikely" that a deal may be reached.

Both parties, though, have not entirely given up hope, but it's understood Alonso and co. are already looking at other options - one of which is to create a brand new team from scratch.

With the UCI's 1st of October deadline coming up next Tuesday, the team's future will have to be decided upon in no more than a week.

Photo: The Guardian

Caja Rural best Naturgas in Lehendakari finale

Jaime Rosón of Caja Rural was Sunday crowned overall Torneo Lehendakari champion of 2013, overturning a one-point deficit on Naturgas Energía's Alain González in the competition's final race in Zaldibia.

The 20-year-old from Zamora, signed from Ávila-Smileekers last winter, got within touching distance of González's lead on Saturday by winning in Oñati.

With only one point separating the pair going into the last race, it was all set for a duel between the two teams in Sunday's decider.

The deciding moment came on the Gaintza climb topping out 5,8 clicks from the finish line. Rosón and team-mates Miguel Ángel Benito and Antonio Molina, Beñat Txoperena (Gipuzkoa-Eki Sport) and Rafael Márquez (Lizarte) got a gap on the rest, with González being forced to give chase.

Márquez eventually came out tops in the race by besting Benito, Molina and Rosón in the sprint, but the green powerhouse team could still raise their arms in celebration, knowing González had been distanced by close to a minute.

The Naturgas Energía prodigy eventually had to make do with 10th on the day, losing the overall in the last race.

Results, III Zaldibia Sari Nagusia:

1. Rafael Márquez (Lizarte), 2:36:02
2. Miguel Ángel Benito (Caja Rural), s.t.
3. Antonio Molina (Caja Rural), s.t.
4. Jaime Rosón (Caja Rural), s.t.
5. Beñat Txoperena (Gipuzkoa-Eki Sport), 0:02
6. Alex Aramburu (Ordiziako), 0:24
7. Raul Martínez (Lizarte), 0:36
8. Jorge Arcas (Lizarte), s.t.
9. Ibai Daboz (Gipuzkoa-Eki Sport), 0:58
10. Alain González (Naturgas Energía), s.t.

Photo: www.osasunista.net

Euskaltel solid at TTT Worlds

The team ended up 18th in the team time trial worlds in Firenze on Sunday.

As a team infamously at unease in collective races against the clock, the result is likely to please the team heads. Euskaltel ended up 18th out of the 35 teams present, finishing four minutes down on winners Orica-GreenEdge.

Ioannis Tamouridis, Ion Izagirre, Gorka Verdugo et al. were only narrowly beaten by Lampre-Meride, but did succeed in besting the likes of Agr2-La Mondiale and MTN Qhubeka.

Over in France, eight Euskaltel riders took on the GP Isbergues.

Arnaud Démare came out tops in the mass sprint, Steffen Radochla in 23rd being the team's top-placed rider.

Juan José Oroz, 18th on Saturday in GP Impanis - Van Petegem, crashed and had to abandon the race. It's unknown at this moment in time how seriously injured he is.

Results:

• (1, Arnaud Démare (FDJ.fr), 4:34:05)
• 23, Steffen Radochla, s.t.
• 45, Garikoitz Bravo, s.t.
• 47, Jon Aberasturi, s.t.
• 106, Miguel Mínguez, 4:55

Photo: BCPT

Oroz shows decent shape in GP Impanis

Juan José Oroz ensured the GP Impanis - Van Petegem wasn't a total write-off for Euskaltel on Saturday.

The versatile veteran came in a solid 18th, forming a part of the first chase group that came in 43 seconds down on winner Sep Vanmarcke. The rest of the Euskaltel contingent all came in almost ten minutes down - hardly a stellar showing in a relatively low-profile Belgian race.

Results:

• (1, Sep Vanmarcke (Belkin), 4:21:48)
• 18, Juan José Oroz, 0:43
• 85, Garikoitz Bravo, 8:25
• 87, Jon Aberasturi, s.t.
• 89, Miguel Mínguez, s.t.
• 90, Ricardo Mestre, s.t.
• 97, Robert Vrecer, s.t.
• DNF: Steffen Radochla, Pablo Urtasun

Photo: Iñaki Azanza

Gorka Izagirre - Ion reunion at Movistar unlikely

The oldest of the Izagirres admits it's highly unlikely the brothers will team up at Movistar in 2014.

Gorka finally sealed his long-awaited move to Movistar earlier this week, bringing to an end a four-year spell in the orange jersey. Ion has, like most Euskaltel stars, been linked with numerous teams the last few months, but it appears likelier by the day that he'll stay put and form a key part of Fernando Alonso's new team.

Speaking to ETB, Gorka says he has "difficulty" seeing Ion making the move to Movistar as well.

"It's the truth - it looks difficult", he said. "Both parties would have to come to an agreement. Time will tell, but there's no rush".

He further reveals he was offered the chance to be a part of Alonso's squad next year, but says that he'd by then already made up his mind.

"I had the chance to stay on, but I had already made my decision. The negotiations with Movistar were already at an advanced stage. I finished what I started and signed for two years".

Watch the entire interview here:
    

Photo: BCPT