Sánchez - I know what I'm doing

For a team notorious for its' riders constant up-and-downs in form, Samuel Sánchez is, and always has been, one of the few so-called 'safe bets' for Euskaltel's sports directors.

The experienced 35-year-old usually comes up with the goods when he intends to - and that is not about to change anytime soon with the Giro d'Italia less than ten days away.

"At Tirreno-Adriatico I was very competitive and came in fifth on the hardest day", he tells Cyclingnews. "In the Vuelta al País Vasco I was one place off the win on the queen-stage. I have been a professional for 14 years - I have my baggage and my experience when preparing for my objectives".

The Euskaltel leader made a promising debut at the 'Corsa Rosa' eight years ago when he finished up 17th on GC, but he's failed to return since.

That's mainly been down to his focus on achieving podiums and stage wins at the Vuelta a España and, later on, at the Tour de France, not because he didn't want to return to arguably the most spectacular of the three Grand Tours.

"I fell in love with the race in 2005", he reveals. "I thought the race had an impressive atmosphere, the towns were decorated in pink, the road sides were full of fans and the hills were covered in bikes.

"The tifosi are the legacy of the purest cycling. As the years have passed, I've taken longer to get back to the race than I would have liked".

In the lead-up to the kick-off in Naples next Saturday, 'Samu' hasn't hidden his goal of finishing on the podium - if he were to do so, he'd have podiums in all three of the sport's GTs.

"I have stage victories and podiums in the Vuelta and the Tour. I'd like to enter the club that has victories in all three. It would be a big dream come true", he concluded.

Photo: Iñaki Azanza