Juanjo in break; Gorka 3rd overall

It was another great day out for Euskaltel today. The Vuelta Ciclista a Valenciana saw Juanjo strong in the break of the day, climbing well, while Gorka grabbed 9th on the stage and propelled himself from 5th to 3rd overall. It was a strong all-round performance from the team, as Rubén was 11th, while Haimar was also in the first group to cross the line. Due to his 9th place today, Gorka is also leading the combined classification, and is third in the mountains ranking. Gorka is on fire! Great to see him finally step out of the shadow as a domestique and get some results for himself for a change. Tomorrow will be a hilly affair so, despite his recent flue, I'll tell you this: watch out for Haimar. Today's results:

• 9th, Gorka Verdugo, 0:00
• 11th, Rubén Pérez, s.t.
• 41st, Haimar Zubeldia, s.t.
• 49th, Markel Irizar, 0:08
• 89th, Alán Pérez, 0:13
• 118th, Juanjo Oroz, 5:06
• 126th, Andoni Lafuente, 6:22
• 131st, Beñat Albizuri, 9:39

Overall classification:

• 3rd, Gorka Verdugo, 0:06
• 18th, Haimar Zubeldia, 0:10
• 29th, Rubén Pérez, 1:43
• 43rd, Markel Irizar, 1:51
• 61st, Alán Pérez, 1:56
• 68th, Juanjo Oroz, 6:46
• 128th, Andoni Lafuente, 18:57
• 132, Beñat Albizuri, 22:14