Euskaltel go missing in Bessèges time trial

Euskaltel concluded their Etoile de Bessèges participation in an anonymous manner on Sunday afternoon, failing to place a rider inside the top 40 in a short individual time trial.

While all general classification hopes had gone out the window beforehand thanks to five low-key performances earlier in the week, there was still ample opportunity to finish the race with a fling considering the modest participation in the French event.

That wasn't to be, though, as Ricardo Mestre's 45th place was as good as it got for Galdeano's riders. Team captain Romain Sicard had an average day in the saddle, coming home two places further down en route to 34th overall.

Jure Kocjan's four Europe Tour points (courtesy of his fifth-place finish on today's morning stage) were the sole points accumulated by the team at the race.

Results (full results here):

• (1, Anthony Roux (Francaise des Jeux), 14:45)
• 45, Ricardo Mestre, 1:23
• 47, Romain Sicard, 1:25
• 48, Pablo Urtasun, 1:26
• 52, Rubén Pérez, 1:31
• 88, Jure Kocjan, 2:24
• 93, Ricardo García, 2:38

General classification:

• (1, Jonathan Hivert (Sojasun), 16:29:35)
• 34, Romain Sicard, 1:33
• 44, Pablo Urtasun, 1:50
• 66, Ricardo Mestre, 2:35
• 69, Jure Kocjan, 2:48
• 94, Rubén Pérez, 13:50
• 98, Ricardo García, 15:31

Photo: Euskaltel Euskadi

Vrecer breaks collarbone on debut

Robert Vrecer got the most unlucky of Euskaltel debuts today, crashing and breaking his collarbone in the Trofeo Palma.

The 32-year-old hit the ground inside the last three laps of the ten loops that made up the Challenge Mallorca opener, and was immediately taken to a nearby hospital. While reports suggest he's yet to actually be diagnosed with a clavicle fracture, everything points towards it.

The Slovenian is thus likely to have to take a few days off the bike before resuming training. There's been no communiqué from the team as of yet, though, so all reports are at this time unofficial.

Photo: Euskaltel Euskadi

19-year-old Aristi making waves at Mallorca

Equipo Euskadi youngster Mikel Aristi was active off the front in his very first professional race at the Trofeo Palma on Sunday.

The 19-year-old teamed up with Equipo Euskadi in the off-season after just a solitary year at the sub-23 level, and has consequently been labelled a future star in the making. He showed what all the talk is about at the Trofeo Palma, the first of the four standalone one-day races that make up the Challenge Mallorca, on Sunday, breaking clear of the peloton for the majority of the day.

Europcar's Perrig Quemeneur was the day's main escape artist, staying out ahead for some 80 clicks. Caja Rural's Fran Moreno tried to give chase for a while but was hindered by a puncture, before young Aristi decided to give it a go among stars he could only have dreamed about riding alongside a few months ago.

The erstwhile Debabarrena protégé was eventually reeled in, but did more than enough to raise eyebrows and put his name out there. The anticipated sprint finish materialized in Palma, with Lotto-Belisol's Kenny Dahaes somewhat surprisingly besting more fancied powerhouses Tyler Farrar and Ben Swift.

Fellow Equipo Euskadi debutant Unai Iparragirre tried to mix it up with the big boys and eventually crossed the line in 16th.

On a day in which Euskaltel were comprehensively out-shone by their affiliate team, Steffen Radochla was the orange team's top rider in 21st. Stars Igor Antón and Mikel Landa all got safely through their first race of the young season.

Results (full results here):

• (1, Kenny Dahaes (Lotto-Belisol), 2:39:07)
• 16, Unai Iparragirre (Equipo Euskadi), s.t.
• 20, Carlos Barbero (Equipo Euskadi), s.t.
• 21, Steffen Radochla (Euskaltel Euskadi), s.t.
• 35, Jon Larrinaga (Equipo Euskadi), s.t.
• 38, Juan José Oroz (Euskaltel Euskadi), s.t.
• 43, Haritz Orbe (Equipo Euskadi), s.t.
• 46, Jon Aberasturi (Euskaltel Euskadi), s.t.
• 50, Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel Euskadi), s.t.
• 66, Gorka Verdugo (Euskaltel Euskadi), s.t.
• 75, Igor Antón (Euskaltel Euskadi), s.t.
• 81, Mikel Landa (Euskaltel Euskadi), 0:10
• 87, Illart Zuazubiskar (Equipo Euskadi), 0:18
• 88, Mikel Iturria (Equipo Euskadi), s.t.
• 93, Miguel Minguez (Euskaltel Euskadi), 0:49
• 129, Aritz Bagües (Equipo Euskadi), 1:29
• 133, Igor Merino (Equipo Euskadi), s.t.
• 134, Mikel Bizkarra (Equipo Euskadi), s.t.
• 149, Gorka Izagirre (Euskaltel Euskadi), s.t.
• 173, Mikel Aristi (Equipo Euskadi), 4:06

Photo: Fundación Euskadi

Kocjan goes close in Bessèges sprint

Jure Kocjan showed glimpses of quality by taking fifth on Sunday morning's penultimate stage of the Etoile de Bessèges.

The 69km first leg of the day was always destined for a bunch sprint, and Euskaltel's Slovenian recruit tried his hand for the first time in his young career in orange.

Samuel Dumoulin beat fellow Frenchman Bryan Coquard and Mathieu Drujon to the big prize, with Kocjan close by in fifth.

The rest of the Euskaltel contingent finished safely inside the pack, ready to embark on the closing stage of the French race later on Sunday: a 9,7km ITT.

Results (full results here):

• (1, Samuel Dumoulin (Ag2r), 1:31:03)
• 5, Jure Kocjan, s.t.
• 31, Romain Sicard, s.t.
• 43, Ricardo Mestre, s.t.
• 64, Ricardo García, s.t.
• 65, Rubén Pérez, s.t.
• 96, Pablo Urtasun, s.t.

Photo: Euskaltel Euskadi

Basque trio shine at Worlds

Aitor Hernández, Javier Ruiz de Larrinaga and Jonathan Lastra all gave Spanish cyclo-cross a boost with three top 30s at the World Championships on Saturday.

Perhaps most impressive was the latter's ride, sub-23 star Jonathan Lastra. The Hirumet-Taldea rider grabbed an eye-catching 15th, placing ahead of riders like Yannick Eckmann, David Van Der Poel, Clément Venturini and Julian Alaphilippe - and thus reached his goal of topping his junior worlds result of 2011.

"I'm in good shape, and I was able to demonstrate that as the laps went by", he said. "The result might even had been a little bit better, but a Frenchman (David Menut) beat me in the sprint, so I had to settle for 15th. I think I showed it's worth betting on youth and on cyclo-cross, and I couldn't have ended the season any better.

Aitor Hernández also fulfilled his pre-race aim of a place in the top 25, finishing up a highly creditable 23rd - in his first race overseas this campaign. The Orbea rider ended up 3:58 down on victor Sven Nys, but felt he could have done even better.

"It's a shame I didn't get a little bit of a better start to end up top 20", he told BiciCiclismo. "But I'm pleased with how I felt underway and how I managed to come back at a world championships, a race I didn't know if I would be able to take part in a week ago - and I only got here two days ago.

"I've now ended a great season, and I'm already thinking about the next one in which I'll get to wear the Spanish jersey for a whole year", he concluded.

Compatriot Javier Ruiz de Larrinaga came in only 17 second further back, taking 28th - one place better than his previous best in Sankt Wendel in 2011. Like his team-mates, though, he felt he could have done better.

"It's my best result at a Worlds, but I'm feeling a bit bittersweet about it", he said. "I reached the goal I set, but it makes my angry knowing I could have done better".

Photo: Iñaki Azanza

García scores first breakaway of the year

Ricardo García finally made sure Euskaltel put their name on the map in today's fourth stage of the Etoile de Bessèges - but the team once again came away empty handed.

Euskaltel have been suspiciously absent from the breaks so far this season, but García picked the right one today to ensure the orange jersey was represented in the thick of the action over the 154km leg from Sabran to Pont Saint Lary. And initially it looked like a good move. Several strong riders, Lieuwe Westra, Pierrick Fédrigo and Jérémy Roy among them, were in there, but Europcar, the team of overall leader Jérôme Cousin, weren't keen to let them get out of sight and held them on a tight leash.

Eventually they were caught with more than 80 clicks to go, and from there on Galdeano's men kept a low profile.

Bryan Coquard once again proved he's a star in the making by taking the sprint - his second of the race - while the Euskaltel riders rolled in mid-pack. Adrián Sáez posted a DNF, but it's at the time unknown what led him to abandon the race.

The race concludes tomorrow with two "half"-stages: a flat 69-click ride in the morning, then another 9,7 against the clock later on. 

Results (full results here):

• (1, Bryan Coquard (Europcar), 3:53:36)
• 22, Rubén Pérez, s.t.
• 30, Jure Kocjan, s.t.
• 56, Ricardo Mestre, s.t.
• 57, Romain Sicard, s.t.
• 62, Pablo Urtasun, s.t.
• 106, Ricardo García, 0:15

General classification:

• (1, Jérôme Cousin (Europcar), 14:43:07)
• 33, Romain Sicard, 0:48
• 54, Jure Kocjan, 1:04
• 60, Pablo Urtasun, s.t.
• 87, Ricardo Mestre, 1:52
• 117, Rubén Pérez, 12:59
• 120, Ricardo García, 13:33

Basques look forward to 'cross Worlds

Expected flooding in Louisville, Kentucky has seen to it that the men's and women's elite World Championship cyclo-cross races have been moved forward to today. The three Basques present in the US, Aitor Hernández, Javier Ruiz de Larrinaga and Jonathan Lastra, have varying degrees of experience at the discipline's biggest race of the year, but they all have similar targets.

The all-conquering Aitor Hernández wasn't originally pencilled in for the event, but some last-minute goodwill from the local community made it financially doable to cross the Atlantic to race his bike. The Ermua-Orbea rider has an astonishing 20 wins to his name this year, and says a top 30 result would constitute a good day at the office.

"This year I won't start from far back or close to the top ranked riders - I'll start from the third or fourth row", Hernández, who finished 52nd at his only previous World Championships last year, told RFEC. "But, above all, I've got a lot more experience. The level of racing will be high, but I think I can be among the 25 best."

While a good performance in the US would put a satisfactory end to an already sublime season, the race also holds the key to the former Euskaltel rider's future in the sport.

"It's an important race for me in the way that it can open doors for next year", he explained. "Like I've said before, I've only earned enough to cover my expenses this year. I'd like to keep doing cyclo-cross, but it can't keep costing me money. I think I can convince the sponsors with the results I've had (this year), but a good result at the worlds would be the best way to do that."

The 31-year-old took his Orbea Terra for a spin on the course on Friday, and says he anticipates a fast race on the icy circuit.

"It's completely covered in ice and snow", he told BiciCiclismo. "I think it'll be a really fast and cold race. I like the course, and I'll do my best to put a nice finishing touch to the season".

Javier Ruiz de Larrinaga is the other Basque set to line up among the elite men, and he's aiming for a similar result to that of his dominator this season, Aitor Hernández.

"The fact that the race is in the States will shape the race: there will be fewer participants, we'll get better starting positions... But there's so many variables, and anything can happen. The start, the race rhythm, the state of the course... But without a doubt: Finishing within the top 30 would be a good result. Going top 25 or even top 20 would be big", Larrinaga, whose 29th place in Sankt Wendel in 2011 is his best worlds result, told RFEC.

The MMR-Spiuk rider has warmed up for the first American World Championships by competing both overseas and domestically, but doesn't think the somewhat unsatisfying results obtained in those races will affect him on race day.

"I don't think this race will be like the one in Hoogerheide two weeks ago", he said of the snowy World Cup race he ended up finishing 35th in. "If anything, with a cold and muddy circuit this race could be harder and more complicated. I left the doubts I had after Burgos and Ispaster behind me a while ago, and I'm only focussed on this race".

The last rider of the Basque trio is sub-23 star Jonathan Lastra. The Bilbaíno has enjoyed a highly successful campaign so far, and aims to better his result from the junior champs of 2011.

The Hirumet-Taldea rider grabbed an encouraging 17th back then, and has, according to a press release, adapted well to the change in time zones. The fact only 42 riders will be on the start line also plays into the youngster's hands, allowing him to start closer to the top riders.

Start times (CET):

• Junior, men: 18:30
• Elite, men: 20:30

Photo: Iñaki Azanza

Schulze crashes out of Mallorca

German recruit André Schulze will have to postpone his Euskaltel debut: A crash in training will see him sidelined for the upcoming Challenge Mallorca.

The veteran sprinter was originally set for his bow in the orange jersey at the four-day event starting on Sunday, but the team's website reports that the 38-year-old will have to wait a little while longer.

Reportedly, Schulze was "motivated and in good shape", but he'll now take some ten days off the bike to recover from his crash. It was not revealed how the crash occurred or what injuries he's sustained.

Also set to give Mallorca a miss from the original 13-man roster somewhat erroneously revealed at this site a few days ago, is Garikoitz Bravo, fresh off completing the Tour Down Under, and Adrián Sáez, currently in action at the Etoile de Bessèges.

The full roster, totalling ten riders, now reads:

• Igor Antón
• Mikel Astarloza
• Jon Aberasturi
• Gorka Izagirre
• Mikel Landa
• Miguel Minguez
• Juan José Oroz
• Steffen Radochla
• Gorka Verdugo
• Robert Vrecer

Photo: BiciCiclismo

Euskaltel miss out in Bessèges

Euskaltel once again missed out on the decisive break in the Etoile de Bessèges on Friday - and now have a big job on their hands if they want to return to general classification contention.

Friday's third leg was, what with its decidedly hilly nature, a stage suited to team captain Romain Sicard, Jure Kocjan and the like - on paper anyway. A big group got away early on and, despite the best efforts from the latter, the orange team were left without a representative and were thus forced to assume control of the pack in the hope of reeling the break back in.

They never succeeded, though, Jérôme Cousin bested Francaise des Jeux duo Roux and Vichot to the stage win. The peloton crossed the finish line 36 seconds back, and Sicard, Urtasun, Kocjan and Mestre all managed to stay with this group. Pérez, García and Sáez all ceded numerous minutes after paying for their efforts earlier in the day.

With two days and three stages to go, Sicard is the team's best placed rider overall in 35th, 48 seconds down on Friday's stage winner.

Results (full results here):

• (1, Jérôme Cousin (Europcar), 3:40:02)
• 43, Romain Sicard, 0:36
• 61, Pablo Urtasun, s.t.
• 68, Ricardo Mestre, s.t.
• 69, Jure Kocjan, s.t.
• 115, Rubén Pérez, 12:27
• 116, Ricardo García, s.t.
• 138, Adrián Sáez, 15:39

General classification:

• (1, Jérôme Cousin (Europcar), 10:49:31)
• 35, Romain Sicard, 0:48
• 62, Jure Kocjan, 1:04
• 66, Pablo Urtasun, s.t.
• 94, Ricardo Mestre, 1:52
• 122, Rubén Pérez, 12:59
• 124, Ricardo García, 13:18
• 134, Adrián Sáez, 16:30

Photo: Euskaltel Euskadi

Equipo Euskadi all out in Mallorca

The newly-renamed and remodelled Equipo Euskadi (previously Orbea) will show of their new (or old, depending on how you look at it) jerseys on Sunday at the Challenge Mallorca.

The four-day race will see all ten riders in action, and DS Aritz Arberas says his young charges are prepared.

"This is our beginning of the season and the start of this team", he told www.fundacioneuskadi.com. "We've worked really hard. Actually, a few riders have prepared specifically for this race. We'll go to Mallorca top motivated and with the desire to do well".

These riders will be on show:

• Aristi, Mikel
• Bagües, Aritz
• Barbero, Carlos
• Bizkarra, Mikel
• Iparragirre, Unai
• Iturria, Mikel
• Larrinaga, Jon
• Merino, Igor
• Orbe, Haritz
• Zuazubiskar, Illart

Photo: BiciCiclismo

Naturgas rider Baudron hit by car

Young Naturgas Energía rider Karl Baudron was hit by a car while out training on Wednesday, www.fundacioneuskadi.com reports.

Details of how the crash occurred has been left out, but the Frenchman needed operations on his nose and on a fracture in his wrist. Luckily, though, a quick recovery is expected.

Baudron's accident follows hot on the heels of former team-mate and now Equipo Euskadi rider Jon Larrinaga being struck down by a car three weeks ago, and of course the accidents leading to the deaths of Víctor Cabedo, Iñaki Lejarreta and, on a slightly less related note, the death of Burry Stander.

Photo: Pascal Baudron

Euskaltel off the radar in Bessèges

Euskaltel stayed out of trouble and out of the action on today's second leg of the Etoile de Bessèges.

Just like yesterday, the riders in orange were nowhere to be seen when the stage from Nîmes to Les Fumades was to be decided. Europcar's young speedster Bryan Coquard grabbed an impressive win, while Rubén Pérez was the first Euskaltel rider across the line in 47th place.

All riders managed to stay with the pack, though, and thus avoided slipping further down the overall classification. Ahead of tomorrow's lumpy stage three, Pérez (30th) and Sicard (41st) are both within touching distance of leader Van Staeyen, 16 seconds adrift.

Results (full results here):

• 1 (Bryan Coquard (Europcar), 3:45:18)
• 47, Rubén Pérez, s.t.
• 49, Ricardo Mestre, s.t.
• 54, Jure Kocjan, s.t.
• 64, Romain Sicard, s.t.
• 83, Ricardo García, s.t.
• 102, Adrián Sáez, s.t.
• 129, Pablo Urtasun, s.t.

Photo: Euskaltel Euskadi

Euskaltel off pace in Bessèges opener

Euskaltel's assembly of fast-finishing rouleurs failed to impose themselves on the competition on today's first stage of the Etoile de Bessèges.

The 156km opening leg from Bellegarde to Beaucaire was on paper suited to the speedy legs of Kocjan, Urtasun, Pérez et al., but the high speed in the closing clicks put paid to 'The carrots''s chances as the majority were left off-hooked as the peloton split up.

Pérez and Sicard managed to stay with the frontrunners, though, but neither had enough left in the tank to mix it up with the relatively modest collection of sprinters on show. Pérez crossed the line in 22nd place, while Sicard followed close behind in 27th.

The rest of the riders all ceded precious seconds with an eye on GC, but the team's captain, Sicard, is firmly in the hunt with another five stages to go.

Worst off was Ricardo Mestre, though, who crashed nine clicks out and rolled in way back. Luckily, the Portuguese is reported to have escaped serious injury.

Up tomorrow is 157 kilometres between Nîmes and Les Fumades.

Results (full results here):

• (1, Michael Van Staeyen (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise), 3:24:23)
• 22, Rubén Pérez, s.t.
• 27, Romain Sicard, s.t.
• 76, Pablo Urtasun, 0:16
• 81, Jure Kocjan, s.t.
• 105, Adrián Sáez, 0:39
• 112, Ricardo García, s.t.
• 137, Ricardo Mestre, 1:04

Photo: Euskaltel Euskadi

Cabedo gets his own race

Fallen cyclist Víctor Cabedo will be honoured with a race in his name this spring.

The "I Trofeo Víctor Cabedo", a race open to junior teams, will be staged this May over four days, on a recorrido yet to be decided upon. The race will "aim to pay homage to the cyclist from Onda, as well as contribute to the growth of grassroots cycling", and will see the light of day thanks to the support of the city council of Onda, Víctor's town of birth.

"Víctor would not have wanted to be paid homage to", said brother José in a press release. "He was always saying he was no one, that he was just getting started. But he never refused to lend a hand when we were seeking support for youth cycling, so I think he would have liked this idea".

Visit the race's website here, and follow them on Twitter here.

Photo: Sky Sports