Koldo unbeatable in Euskal

Koldo grabbed his third season win today in Euskal Bizikleta's second stage. The Álava native easily beat Baden Cooke and JJ Rojas in the dash for the line into Agurain to give his team a win they thouroughly deserved. The team spent all day at the front of the pack chasing down the five-man group that got away early. With the help of Orbea and, in the last 20 kilometres, Caisse d'Epargne, it came down to the expected showdown between the fast-men. Igor advanced to 4th overall going into the last stage. More later...

Haimar ready for Dauphiné test

Haimar will, together with Samu and Mikel, lead the team's charge in the Dauphiné, starting tomorrow. He spoke to Marca about his ambitions for the race: "It's a very demanding race, and it wears you out. The stages are hard, and the riders are sharpening their teeth for the Tour. There are two very hard stages in the Alps, and the crono is also very demanding. We hope that experience will make the difference". Haimar finished 2nd overall in the Dauphiné in 2000, but will not be obsessed with reaching the podium this time around. "It's the last race ahead of the Tour, and it's necessary to be in good form", he said. "But it's also necessary to remember that the Tour is just around the corner, so I won't overdo it. But we'll do our best". With the form he's showing these days, "doing our best" might just be good enough to win the whole thing.

Igor betting on Koldo

Speaking after the conclusion of yesterday's first stage of the Euskal Bizikleta, Igor told the reporters that today, the team is hoping it all comes down to a sprint: "Yesterday's stage was just crazy. Attacks everywhere, no control... There are three stages in this race, and each one will be a war. I felt good all day, and that makes me hopeful. Dani Moreno won the stage, and it'll be difficult to take the jersey away from him, as he's a good rider, but we'll try. (Moreno was later handed a 10-second penalty for clinging on to his team's car up the last ascent.) Tomorrow is the Agurain stage, a day in which the general classification is not likely to see any major changes. We bring Koldo to this race, so if it does come down to a sprint, he's got a good opportunity to claim his third win of the year".

Igor 6th in Euskal opener

Sorry for not updating yesterday, but I really never had the time actually, as I was away the whole day. But here's how the opener of the Euskal Bizikleta unfolded:

At first Amets tried to break away with 13 others, among them eventual stage-winner Moreno. But it never worked out for this group, and they were reeled back in quite quickly. Straight afterwards a group of 15 went away, and this group managed to establish a gap. Euskaltel, amazingly, had no one in it so, together with Tinkoff, who'd suffered the same fate, they had to chase. The two teams controlled the break wonderfully, and on the descent of the last climb the lead-group, among them a lively Igor, had reeled in all the escapees. It came down to a sprint among the 10 strongest riders, a sprint in which Dani Moreno of Caisse d'Epargne prevailed in. Igor came in 6th, but was later promoted to 5th overall as Moreno was handed a 10-second penalty for hanging onto a car going up the last climb. The other Euskaltel riders finished way back, totally exhausted after leading the peloton all day. Antton sadly had to abandon due to some respiratory problems. Results:

• 6th, Igor Antón, 0:00
• 47th, Amets Txurruka, 8:45
• 67th, Egoi Martínez, 13:20
• 86th, Jorge Azanza, 20:03
• 87th, Andoni Lafuente, s.t.
• 89th, Aitor Hernández, s.t.
• 91st, Koldo Fernández, s.t.

Amets looking forward to Euskal

The Euskal Bizikleta has always been Amets' favourite race. Ever since he was a little boy he's been watching the race from the roadside, as the race always passes his home in Extebarria. DEIA caught up with him to discuss this year's race, and here's Amets' take on it: "Every cyclist has a favourite race, a race that motivates more than others for one reason or another. For me that race is the Euskal Bizikleta. It's the only race in Euskadi that's always, without exceptions, passed my home in Etxebarria." Amets will start the race for a third time today, and here's his thoughts on each stage: "The first stage will be an important indicator of how the race will develop. No one is going to win the race on the Sollube (a cat.1 climb located 12 kilometres from the end), but many riders will lose their chance of overall glory. I think it'll be a chaotic and uncontrolable stage, as it's difficult for a team to take control of the race in the first stage. The inclines of Sollube will make the selection between the favourites, but I wouldn't be surprised if a break goes all the way either. The second stage is a strange one. The beginning of the stage is really hard, with the ascents of Opakua and Azazeta coming right away, but then it levels out for the remainder of the stage. We did the stage the other day in training, and I think it's a stage for a break. Nevertheless, there will be teams eyeing a sprint, like us for example, where our man will be Koldo. We will have to take control of the stage. The last stage is a presitigous one. The last stage to Arrate is a stage all Basques would love to have on their palmarès, and I'm no exception. Somebody will have to control the race so that a break doesn't get too far up the road. It's obvious that this stage will be decisive for the GC considering there's no TT in this year's race. A good climber will win this year's edition, as the last five kilometres, on the way to the top of the Arrate, is really tough."

Jorge replaces Javier for Euskal

Jorge Azanza will take Javier's place in the Euskal Bizikleta line-up. The race starts tomorrow, and will include the following Euskaltel riders: Jorge, Amets, Koldo, Igor, Andoni, Egoi, Antton and Aitor H.

Iban looking good in Zikloturista Iban Mayo

The third running of the annual Martxa Zikloturista Iban Mayo, staged in his honour, was held at the 18th of May this year. 177 riders completed the hilly course, with Iban taking second to his close friend and ex-Orbea rider Julen Zubero. The cyclosportif was reported to have been a great success. Judging by the pictures, and by interviews, he's been spending a lot of time in the gym of late. His arms and upper body looked more muscular than ever, and he looked to be close to his optimal weight, though I have to add I'm not an expert at these kinds of things. But anyway, he looked awesome to put it like it is. He's also reported to be in good spirits these days, and has said that if cleared by CAS, he'd like to ride on for at least 2-3 years. If that is to happen, I could die a happy man. Period.

Alán pleased with Giro

Alán Pérez really came of age in the recently finished Giro d'Italia. Getting into two decisive breaks, placing a heartbraking 2nd on the first, put the Navarra native in the limelight for the first time in his young career. Yesterday he spoke to local newspaper Noticias de Navarra about his Giro experience. Here are excerpts from the interview: "I would love to return to the Giro one day. I'd happily do it again. I'm pleased with my own performance in this edition of the race, as I worked a lot for Koldo when I wasn't in the breaks. Coming so close to a win hurts though. At first we were 11, then we were two. I felt so angry when I crossed the line, because coming 2nd is not winning, even though the difference is minimal. Though, being a protagonist is important, so I'm happy. I also think the team as a whole left a good impression on the race. Our objective was to win a stage, something we couldn't muster, but we went so close so many times, placing 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th and 10th. I think we did our job well". Speaking on the rest of the season, he said: "The Tour's just around the corner, so that's not an option. But I would love to do the Vuelta again. If I did indeed get that chance, I'd spend my time recovering and preparing up until then." Alán did a good job in last year's Vuelta, lying 4th overall for a while, so I'd like to see him in that squad. With the level of performance he showed in the Giro, I think that's a certainty.

Team previews stage 2 of Euskal Bizikleta

The eight riders that will take part in the Euskal Bizikleta, starting this Friday, all trained together on the roads of the second stage today. Igor, Amets, Egoi, Javier, Andoni, Koldo, Antton and Aitor H, rode the vast majority of the 162 kilometres in and around Agurain.

Dauphiné and Euskal Bizikleta line-ups

Euskaltel will send strong squads to the two upcoming races; the Dauphiné Libéré and the Euskal Bizikleta.

The Euskal Bizikleta starts this Friday, and will this year contain no more than three stages. Igor, Amets, Koldo, Javier, Antton, Aitor Hernández, Andoni and Egoi will defend the team's colours on home soil. Igor will likely lead the push for overall honours. His ankle is finally healed, and, according to reports, he's in great shape. The rest of the guys will look to get into breaks, while Koldo will be the main man if one of the stages come down to a sprint. Looks like a solid team on paper. Amets is also rumoured to be in form, and he's got a love affair with the race, so watch out for the diminutive climber all three days.

The team's three captains for the Tour de France this summer will all feature in the traditional Tour dress-rehersal; the Dauphiné Libéré. Alongside Samu, Haimar and Mikel, will be Rubén, Alán, Beñat, Juanjo and Iñaki. Haimar will look to build on his strong Volta a Cataluña, while Mikel will try to get fit in time for the Tour after a mightly impressive first-half of the season. Samu hasn't been racing all that much this year, but he's always good, so no worries there. I predict the rest of the guys will do their utmost to assist an eventual overall push by one of them. Just like with the Bizikleta squad it looks awesome. Aupa!

Poll results: What's CAS up to?

CAS have been enjoying some beers lately if you readers are to be believed. 39 % of you voted for "Having a beer", while "Asking the UCI what to do" came a close second, claiming 23 % of the votes. "Facebook" got an honourable 3rd place, followed by the most likely scenario, "Sleeping", in fourth, while the most unlikely one, "Studying Iban's case", ended up dead last as I predicted. Not the most serious of polls, but I nonetheless found it amusing.

CAS take their time

I had hoped that once I'd got back blogging, a decision on Iban's case had been reached. That's sadly not the case. Iban's lawyer told Spanish dailies on the 22nd of May that CAS would need another two or three months to come to a conclusion, effectively ruling him out of this year's Tour de France. Bravo, mission accomplished! I'm at a loss to find out what they'll be up to the next months, but I'm going to save myself some time by not complaining a whole lot. But all you frustrated fans are more than welcome to do so in the "Comments" section below.

Here we go again!

Good to finally be back. It was a long lay-off, a longer than expected one, but it freed up some time. Though I haven't been blogging, I've been keeping myself up-to-date all the time, so no problems there. The Giro went by in the blink of an eye. Euskaltel did okay, quite well actually, so I'm pleased. Koldo is taking major steps forward in the right direction; he's in for a big win any time soon. Alán and Iván looked good too. Such a shame that Alán ended up 2nd on that 6th stage, I thought he was going to pull it off, but he should still be pleased with his performance. The same goes for the rest of the guys, they made the team, and their fans I have to add, proud. I was sad to see so many of them abandoning due to injuries, but I guess that's life in GTs. Anyway, most of them managed to leave their mark on the race before they had to drop out so it wasn't all bad.

I'll be back...

...soon. Long time no see as they say, but I'll soon be back to my blogging duties. Maybe I'll start posting daily again from Sunday on, maybe Monday, so tune in those days to read my view on what's been happening this last month. See you all soon!