Samu doubts Vuelta participation

While Samu said he'll make a decision on whether or not to take part in the Vuelta a España this year only after the Tour de France, the Euskaltel captain has played down the chances of lining up for the Spanish GT. Talking to Cobbles&Hills, the 34-year-old said it looked "complicated".

"The start of the race is very close to the end of the Olympics, only two weeks", he said. "Practically there's no time to recover, because I'm likely to ride the Clásica San Sebastián on the 14th, and therefore it's hard to get to the Vuelta with the needed motivation and fitness to do well. It'll be complicated. Besides, Igor Antón will only be doing the Vuelta of the GTs this year, and he'll have to take the responsibility".

As the defending champion and with his all-round ability, it was no surprise to see Samu selected in the Spanish team for London 2012 alongside Luis León Sánchez, Óscar Freire, Alejandro Valverde and José Joaquín Rojas. The Asturian believes all five are in with a chance of grabbing a medal.

"Yes, we'll all get our chance. It'll be a strategic race, a complicated one, but I think anyone on the team can finish on the podium. We're all capable to finish high up, that's what's important."