Koldo in the mix in Wevelgem

Koldo tried to sprint for the win in today's Gent-Wevelgem, but was sadly, like many other top sprinters, boxed in at the wrong time. Eventually he had to settle for 21st. That doesn't look like a really strong result, but he still beat riders like Bozic, McEwen, Usov, Cooke and Balducci, so he wasn't the only rider to mistime his sprint. When it became apparent that he wouldn't win, he sat up and let, at least, a handful of riders pass him. But still I'm pleased with his ride; he showed he can be up there in the big Belgian Classics. Markel and Juanjo also came in with the first group, and they deserve the outmost praise. The pair almost single-handedly brought Koldo back to the first group after the peloton split into several pieces after the last ascent of the infamous Kemmelberg. They brought a 50/60-man strong group back to the pack to help Koldo, but sadly he wasn't able to repay them. But there'll be other races, as always... Alán, Javier, Josu and Beñat all came in with a big group 5 minutes down, while Lander led home the last bunch of riders 10:25 adrift of winner Freire.

Mikel feelin' alright

Mikel advanced to 8th overall after today's second stage of the Vuelta al País Vasco. After crossing the line, the team captain took a couple of minutes of his time to speak to Euskaltel's website. Here's what he had to say: "It's been a hard stage. On paper it didn't look that hard, but in the Vuelta al País Vasco there are no transition days. I felt good today though. I stayed on the wheels of my teammates all day to minimize the effort and to conserve some energy. In the final part I went to the front, as the finish looked a bit dangerous to me. It took a lot of energy to neutralize Landaluze's break, so nobody had the strength to control the last kilometres. The tension was high, so I decided to go to the front of the pack to avoid the danger and eventual mishaps. It was foreseeable that a crash would happen, and so it proved. Now we have to focus on tomorrow's stage".

Igor doing fine in País Vasco

Igor once again showed his injury isn't hampering him a whole lot today. The rider came in with the main bunch in 37th place, and now occupies a good 14th overall at only 8 seconds from Contador. After the stage he spoke briefly to the team's website: "We got through the day without any problems, something which was the main goal today. The stage was really hard. I didn't think it would be that hard, but the final circuit was terrible. I felt better yesterday, but I'm pleased that I didn't have any problems whatsoever to finish in the first group. Speaking of the tendon injury, it's status quo. Like yesterday, it didn't feel good to begin with, but it soon got better".

Mikel advances to 8th overall as Iñigo tries his luck

It was another fruitful day for the team in País Vasco today. Iñigo was in the break of the day, Egoi kept his mountains jersey and Mikel is now 8th overall. Iñigo was the first rider over all five climbs along the way, and is now second to Egoi in that particular competition. The quartet that broke clear early on in the day was as expected reeled in with some 10 kilometres left to ride. All Euskaltel riders came in with the pack, with Iñaki being the first of those in 10th place. More importantly though, everyone escaped the crash that occured inside the last 200 metres. Mikel showed what a smart and experienced rider he is by predicting that a crash would indeed happen, and as a consequence stayed at the very head of the pack until some 150 metres were left to ride. I was really at a loss to find out what he was doing there, at the front of the peloton in a sprint-finish he would stand no chance of winning. It seemed like a waste of energy at the time, but when I saw the crash, I was in awe of his awareness and knowledge. Impressive! Not only Mikel was impressive; Amets was very active in the hectic final 10 kilometres, trying to escape the bunch. He wasn't successful obviously, but he got to show his form is good.

Igor pleased with first stage

A lot of us were anxious to see what Igor could come up with today after his recent struggles. He impressed though, coming in with the first group, and expressed his delight to the team's website post-stage: "It was a special day considering all that's happened the last 7 days. I was unsure on whether to start the race right up until the last minute, so this was an important day for me. I'm pleased with how it unfolded. I came in with the lead group and felt good all day. I didn't move when Contador attacked, but when Evans and Cunego accelerated, I followed, and I came over the top of the Deskarga feeling good. The tendon annoyed me a bit to begin with, but it didn't take long for the pain to go away. I hope to recover well and to keep on going like this. The truth is that I'm only thinking of the next day and to do what is necessary for the team".

Egoi grabs climber's jersey

Today's Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco opener went well for the team. Egoi got into the break of the day and looked as strong as ever. He was also clearly keen on the climber's jersey, and amassed a massive 24 points underway. He therefore leads that particular competition going into the second stage. The break though wasn't given a big gap, but that wasn't really a surprise as the Astana riders know what Egoi is capable of. Egoi and Mayoz, the former Euskaltel rider, were the last two to get reeled back in by the Astana-led pack with 15 clicks to go. On the last climb of the day, Contador was able to get away and take the win. Behind him, the group of favourites was wittled down to 26 riders, among them Mikel and Igor, in 12th and 17th respectively. This group came in only 8 seconds back. Jorge, Amets, Iván and Iñigo all came in with the same group, 1:59 in arrears, while Egoi ended up 101st, 3:44 down, and Iñaki 108th, 4:42 down. Tomorrow's stage will be another hilly affair, of course, so perhaps Igor and Mikel will be able to snatch a top placing then. Aupa!

Igor in; Rubén out

Igor will take to the start in País Vasco tomorrow after all. This was decided today, as he's feeling a whole lot better now. Rubén, though, will sadly not be able to race. He's been laid low with an influenza, so Iván will get to show what he's worth after all. Full roster: Egoi, Iñigo, Mikel, Igor, Amets, Iñaki, Jorge and Iván.

Discreet Vlaanderen performance

Only two Euskaltel riders finished today's Ronde van Vlaanderen. Juanjo did really well to come in with the third group, alongside the likes of Backstedt, Reynes, Giling, Kopp, Wrolich, Willems, Hoj and Breschel, in 50th place, 9:14 down. He showed himself at the front of the peloton several times before the big-guns got going, and looked good. Impressive debut! Markel was the other rider to finish, coming in 87th, 17:35 in arrears. I've not heard anything about any injuries to the rest, so I assume they're all okay and ready to go for Gent-Wevelgem on Wednesday.

País Vasco tactics

Igor is still at a loss to figure out whether he'll take part in the Vuelta al País Vasco tomorrow or not. The climber, with general classification ambitions for the race, has been struggling with a sinew in his achilles since the last stage of the recent Paris-Nice. He did 80 kilometres behind directeur sportif Gorka Gerrikagoitia's car yesterday, and is reported to have felt a whole lot better. He'll most probably start, but, as Miguel Madariaga said, it's up to the rider to decide: "It depends on Igor. If he's feeling as good today as he did yesterday, then he's likely to participate. Igor is motivated, and he really wants to race, but we won't force him into anything. If he doesn't feel like racing, we'll find an alternative". That alternative is the in-form Iván Velasco, who's been training with the team these last few days. "He's prepared for it", Madariaga told DEIA. Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano seemed more upbeat than Madariaga though when speaking to El Correo Digital yesterday: "He told us he felt good. If he can't feel any pain today, he'll be on the start-line in Legazpia. He's in great form, so it's necessary to take advantage of it." Galdeano went on to describe Contador as the man to beat, and said his own team are underdogs. "We're not the favourites, so we won't take control of the race. We'll be on the attack instead".

Aitor Galdos 9th in GP Induráin

Aitor Galdos continued his strong run of form of late to clinch 9th in the Gran Premio Miguel Induráin today. Aitor came in with a small and strong group only six seconds down on winner Wegmann. But other than that though, it has to be said the race was a disappointment for the team. The race was ranked as one of the season highlights for the team, so, in fairness, I expected a little more. It started good though, with Jorge managing to infiltrate in the break of the day along with two others. The trio built up a handy 6-minute lead, but were as expected reeled back in. At the base of the last climb it was all back together, and Euskaltel were prominent on the front going into the last hill. But when it started most of them faded though. Iván did well to claim 33rd, only 34 seconds back, while Mikel and Egoi ended up 38th and 39th respectively, 41 seconds in arrears. Amets was 69th, 3 minutes down, while Iñaki came in 73rd, another 9 seconds back. The rest of the guys abandoned, and the team finished a lowly 9th in the team classification. Not the best of days, but not a disaster either. There'll be other races, starting tomorrow with Vlaanderen and then on Monday with País Vasco. When it comes to the cobbled classics I'm all smiles as long as nobody gets injured, so I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Iván on stand-by for País Vasco

It's been revealed that Iván, not Juanjo, will take Igor's place in the País Vasco team if he fails to get fit in time. Iván has been training with the team on the course of the race these last few days, while Igor has been recuperating. If Igor doesn't shake of his injury in time, Iván will line-up alongside Mikel, Egoi, Iñigo, Jorge, Rubén, Amets and Iñaki.

Changes to GP Indurain line-up

For undisclosed reasons, Euskaltel have slightly changed their line-up for the GP Miguel Indurain this coming Saturday. Rubén and Aitor Galdos will replace Igor and Antton (No, that's not Igor Antón; it's Igor Antón and Antton Luengo). I guess Igor dropped out of the team due to his ongoing trouble with his achilles. I guess they don't want to take any chances with him, as a race as hard as the GP Indurain might make it worse. The chances are that he might not even ride País Vasco, so he'll take it as chill as possible the next days. I don't know why Antton had to cancel on the race, but I assume it might have something to do with these "personal issues" of his. Anyway, just hope to see them both back on the bike again soon.

Igor struggles with achilles injury

Igor, Euskaltel's leader along with Mikel for the upcoming Vuelta al País Vasco, is struggling with an achilles injury these days. He first noticed the pain in his achilles in the Paris-Nice, and has struggled with it ever since. He didn't feel any pain though on Sunday in the GP Llodio, but the pain has come back while training the last few days. This has prompted speculation about his participation in the Vuelta al País Vasco, but Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano is confident Igor will take to the start in Legazpia on Monday. Time will tell, but it looks like the odds are favouring him luckily.

Euskaltel to race Pino Cerami

Euskaltel will, as has become tradiotion the last few years, race the Belgian 1.1 ranked GP Pino Cerami. The race takes place the day after Gent-Wevelgem, and will see the same 8 Euskaltel riders in action. Josu, Alán, Koldo, Andoni, Markel, Beñat, Javier and Lander will line-up in all three cobbled classics, along with Cerami. The team has come close to winning the race the last two years, so hopefully this year it'll be a case of third-time luck.