Pablo Urtasun goes close to first win of 2013

Euskaltel Euskadi's Pablo Urtasun came agonizingly close to opening the team's victory account on Sunday as he finished second to Movistar's Rui Alberto Faria da Costa in the Klasika Primavera in Amorebieta.

The Euskaltel veteran was relegated to the second step on the podium at the end of a frantic day of racing in the region of Biscay.

A three-man move went clear 40 kilometres into the 171,6km 1.1-ranked event: Caja Rural's Rubén Fernández, Equipo Euskadi's young hotshot Mikel Aristi and Lokomotiv's speedy Russian Boris Shpilevsky. The trio was never given much leeway, though, and was reeled in inside the last 30 clicks.

On the third and last time going up the cat.2-ranked climb of Montecalvo, a dangerous-looking quintet gapped the pack. Among them was Saxo-Tinkoff's Alberto Contador, Movistar's local hero Beñat Intxausti and Euskaltel climber Mikel Nieve. The former two distanced the rest and crested the climb alone, looking to be heading for a two-up sprint.

Euskaltel and Movistar's forcing of the pace in the pack resulted in the duo being caught within sight of the line, though, and Costa ended up, somewhat against the odds, besting Urtasun in the dash for the line. Contador hung on for third and closed out the podium.

Results (full results here):

• (1, Rui Costa (Movistar), 4:07:58)
• 2, Pablo Urtasun, s.t.
• 14, Jorge Azanza, s.t.
• 17, Mikel Astarloza, s.t.
• 21, Igor Antón, 0:25
• 22, Mikel Nieve, 0:32
• 27, Miguel Mínguez, 1:13
• 28, Mikel Bizkarra (Euskadi), s.t.
• 30, Gorka Verdugo, 1:15
• 35, Igor Merino (Euskadi), 1:23
• 42, Aritz Bagües (Euskadi), 1:53
• 47, Haritz Orbe (Euskadi), 2:11
• 50, Carlos Barbero (Euskadi), s.t.
• 59, Robert Vrecer, s.t.
• 60, Garikoitz Bravo, s.t.
• 73, Mikel Iturria (Euskadi), 5:47
• 86, Juan José Lobato, 9:48
• 88, Jon Larrinaga (Euskadi), 10:46
• 91, Unai Iparragirre (Euskadi), 15:00
• 102, Illart Zuazubiskar (Euskadi), s.t.

Photo: Iñaki Azanza