"It was our best race this year"

Euskaltel's affiliate team, Orbea, closed out its Volta a Portugal campaign on Sunday with a 16th-overall placing for Omar Fraile and four stage placings among the top ten the highlights of a combative showing from the youngsters in blue. Naturally, given their age and relative inexperience, a ten-day race like the Volta is easily the longest race of the year for Aritz Arberas' boys, and the DS was happy with his charges post-race.

"Without a doubt the best race we've done this year", he told www.orbea.com. "Despite it being a very hard race with a high-quality field, the team showed itself very well and everyone got a chance on almost every stage. Moreover they acquired a lot of experience and the race served as an appetizer to a Grand Tour. It was a very rewarding race."

The team, stil winless this year, will close out its season at the Tour de Gevaudan late next month, a hilly two-day race in the Lozère department in southeast France. Current Euskaltel rider Adrián Sáez was the team's top man last year in 24th on GC, while Ricardo García, also him with the orange squad now of course, grabbed the team's top stage-placing on day one with 11th. Saur-Sojasun Frenchman Guillaume Levarlet took both stages and the overall crown.

Haritz Orbe, one of the riders not in action in Portugal, had gotten through day one and day two of the Tour de l'Avenir with flying colours. The 21-year-old came in 18th on Monday and 17th on Tuesday.