Euskaltel duo fail to finish Worlds

Only two of six Basques managed to cross the finish line at the recent UCI Road World Championships.

Samuel Sánchez and Egoi Martínez both failed to finish the elite men's race, the duo both doing their work for team leaders Alejandro Valverde and Joaquim Rodríguez before the big finale. 'Samu' hardly looked to be on his a game (and eventually crashed out), while Martínez did as the majority of the Spaniards early on and stayed out of the limelight.

One Basque who did reach the line - and with some bravado - was the ever-reliable Jonathan Castroviejo. The Movistar rider took valuable pulls on the front and eventually crossed the line in 48th, eight minutes down on victor and team-mate Rui Costa.

In the sub-23 race, both Mikel Iturria and Haritz Orbe failed to complete the race. The duo both did what they were asked to - especially the former, who set the pace at the front for some time - but both eventually posted DNFs as Spain's challenge faltered spectacularly.

In the junior men's race, young Caja Rural prodigy Alex Aranburu enjoyed a solid debut. The youngster, equally at ease in the mud as on the road, modestly told this website only days before the race that his goal was to finish the race "and do my best", and he duly succeeded by being the nation's top finisher in 47th - four minutes back on Mathieu van der Poel.

Photo: Orbea