Salas to ride with the pros

Young Basque Ibai Salas has been rewarded for his consistent riding this season by being picked to represent the national team at the upcoming Vuelta a Asturias.

The Caja Rural rider, who hails from Zamudio right next to Euskaltel's headquarters in Derio and Athletic Bilbao's training facilities in Lezama, recently took out the Copa de España-ranked Trofeo Guerrita and is in the running for the overall Copa crown with only one race remaining. That was enough to impress national coach Pascual Momparler, who's picked the 21-year-old alongside seven other promising riders for a start at the Vuelta a Asturias.

The race, to be held in Samuel Sánchez's region next weekend, will see the following octet present, reports the Spanish Cycling Federation:

Fernando Grijalba (Caja Rural), Ibai Salas (Caja Rural), Airán Fernández (Coluer), Antonio Pedrero (Lizarte), Víctor Martín (Lizarte), Higinio Fernández (Lizarte), Cristian Cañada (Mutua de Levante) and Vicente García de Mateos (GSport-Valencia Terra i Mar). 

Photo: Twitter