Euskaltel stand behind Antón

There'll be no change in tactics for Euskaltel despite Igor Antón's underwhelming Vuelta a España campaign thus far. Heading into Saturday's summit finish at Collado de la Gallina in Andorra the 29-year-old is ranked 14th overall at two minutes six seconds, but directeur sportif Gorka Gerrikagoitia refuses to give up on the erratic climber.

"We came here to get a good overall placing in order to secure ranking points", 'Gerri' told DEIA. "We didn't come here to win the race. So far things haven't turned out as we'd hoped, but we won't change our approach. We won't tell him to take his it easy (and aim for stages). We're thinking about what's coming up. The climb of la Gallina, for example, is a good place for Igor to show that he's in good shape, something we don't doubt. There we'll see his true level of form, but he shouldn't have any problems staying with the best and start climbing the overall".

Antón, touted pre-race as a real podium contender, has ceded time at every mountain top finish thus far, but the veteran DS and former pro believes the nature of the race is more to blame than the rider himself for failing to live up to expectations.

"He's fine, but the tension in the pack leading up to the climbs, especially before the climb of Valdezcaray but not at Arrate, is what's really hurting his chances. When the peloton is going full speed he's spending more energy than necessary, and he's paying for that when his moment to shine comes".

Make what you want of Gerrikagoitia's excuses, but he's onto something about today's climb. The Collado de la Gallina will be the first test proper to see who's got the legs on longer and steadier climbs in this race, the climb in Andorra being somewhere in excess of seven kilometres long and averaging approximately eight percent. There'll be no place to hide for the top favourites, and the gaps should be considerable.