Euskaltel for Eindhoven TTT

Euskaltel will, like every Pro Tour team, take part in the annual Eindhoven team time-trial this coming Sunday. Euskaltel lost this race solidly last year, so the goal this time around must be to avoid last place. Surprisingly, Samu Sánchez will take part for the very first time. The rest of the 8-man team will be made up of Iñaki Isasi, Unai Etxebarria, Markel Irizar, Iban Iriondo, Alán Pérez, Unai Uribarri and Joseba Zubeldia.

Juan José Oroz

• Full name: Juan José Oroz Ugalde
  
• Date of birth: 11.07.1980
  
• Place of birth: Pamplona, Navarra
  
• Turned professional: 2005
  
• Joined Euskaltel: May 2007
  
• Previous teams: Kaiku (2006), Orbea-Oreka SDA (2007)
  
• Palmarés: 2nd: stage 4 of the Vuelta a Asturias 2007, stage 2 of the Vuelta a Andalucía 2009.

Beñat out as Suisse misery continues

Another Euskaltel rider abandoned the Tour de Suisse today. Beñat Albizuri threw in the towel, meaning there are only four Euskaltel riders left in the race. Though, those four are doing an excellent job. Today, Juanjo Oroz broke clear from the pack with 8 km remaining; a brave and impressive move from the new Euskaltel rider. Though, the pace in the pack was on, so he was caught with only a couple of km to go. But, still, a sign of strength from Juan José. The race eventually ended in a mass-sprint, with Robbie McEwen taking snacthing the win ahead of Bennati and Zabel. The remaining Euskaltel riders all finished safely inside the peloton.

Finally Osa?

Former Euskaltel rider Aitor Osa has, as you might know by now, been cleared of any involvment in the infamous Operacion Puerto. That means that he`s now free to join any team he wants, and I think Euskaltel should jump at the chance of signing such a classy rider. Aitor rode for Euskaltel back in the good, old days, from `94 to `96. Since then he`s been with Banesto/Illes Balears and Liberty Seguros. The now 33-year-old climber has racked up several brilliant results through the years, like the overall win in the Vuelta al País Vasco and the climber`s jersey in the Vuelta a España. He would be a great addition to any team, and is just what Euskaltel need right now. Euskaltel sorely need another stage-racer, and Aitor certainly fits the bill.

Antton and Andoni out of Suisse

Euskaltel`s Tour de Suisse misery continued today as Andoni Aranaga and Antton Luengo both called it quits today. Andoni has been riding through pain for two days now, as he crashed badly on the first stage, so I no doubt understand his decision. But why Antton abandoned, I don`t know. I`ll tell you once I find out, though. The stage itself didn`t go too well for Euskaltel either, as Jon Bru was the best placed rider in a distant 43rd position. There`s not much more to tell really, so I`ll just bring you the results:

• 43rd, Jon Bru, 7:11
• 69th, Iván Velasco, 11:41
• 83rd, Ibán Velasco, 15:34
• 115th, Juanjo Oroz, 20:27
• 152nd, Beñat Albizuri, 24:25
  

Jon Bru riding strongly in Switzerland

Euskaltel had yet another rather dismal day in the Tour de Suisse. Today`s third stage saw no Euskaltel rider in the break, nor in the fight for the best stage-placings. Though, Jon Bru did well to come in with the second group, just 21 seconds adrift. Jon`s group contained big-name riders as Carlos Sastre, José Ivan Gutierrez, Stijn Devolder, Vladimir Gusev and Giuseppe Guerini, so it was no mean feat from Jon. He`ll for sure look to get in some important breaks as the race unfolds. Aside from Jon`s strong ride, there`s little to report. I`m just going to give you the results I think:

• 37th, Jon Bru, 0:21
• 72nd, Iván Velasco, 3:10
• 96th, Juanjo Oroz, 7:32
• 104th, Ibán Mayoz, s.t
• 157th, Andoni Aranaga, 29:03
• 159th, Beñat Albizuri, s.t
• 160th, Antton Luengo, 29:55

Though, I want to remind you that Andoni is riding through terrible pain in Switzerland at the moment, as he crashed badly yesterday. So too did Juanjo, but the fall has not hampered his racing. But, riding through the pain is what it`s all about at Euskaltel at the moment. Aupa Andoni!

Poll results: Iban in the Tour

Iban will enjoy a good Tour de France this year if you readers are right. The poll "Iban in the Tour" had five options, and out of the five, "Top-10 and stage" got the most votes with 37 %. Closely followed "Stage-win" with 35 %, and "Top-10 overall" and "More than one stage-win" got 7 and 5 % of the votes respectively. Though, 16 % of you out there think Iban`s Tour will be a "Total failure", as I had put it. It`s perhaps no big surprise that some of you have lost faith in him when it comes to the Tour, but, I promise you, he`ll deliver this year. Aupa Iban!

Aitor sick

Aitor Galdos, who was supposed to lead Euskaltel in the Tour de Suisse in search of good stage results, had to abandon yesterday because of sickness. Aitor vomited several times leading up to yesterday`s stage, and even though he did his best to complete the stage, he had no chance, and threw in the towel. Aitor was also suffering from fever and had to ride on an empty stomach, as all the food he ate came straight back out again. As Jon Odriozola pointed out, Euskaltel`s sports director in Switzerland, it was a "pity" that he had to abandon, as he was looking to impress the chiefs enough to secure a Tour de France berth.

Haimar: "I`m feeling good"

DEIA spoke to a pleased Haimar Zubeldia yesterday. Here`s excerpts from the interview I translated myself, as I figured you folks would find it an interesting read:

• DEIA: How has this week in the Dauphiné been for you?
• Haimar: It`s been a good week. I`ve been feeling good, though mainly in the mountains. But, in the stage to Valloire, which included the ascents of the Croix du Fer and the Télégraphe, I wasn`t as good as I had hoped.
• DEIA: Does that worry you?
• Haimar: No, not at all. I`ve still got three weeks left until the Tour, and I`ve got a big improvement margin. I`ve been quite good in the mountains, though, I was far behind the best in the ITT. We made an important test in the crono in the Dauphiné, and we have to consider the fact that we were way behind the best ones and that we had expected better results. All that I`ve improved in the mountains I`ve lost in the race against the clock. We`we tried to work on it, and we even went to a wind-tunnel. But, unfortunately, the work hasn`t paid off yet. I`m still not feeling good in the ITTs. In the crono in the Dauphiné which Vinokourov won, I finished happy and I felt good. But then I saw my time and I realised that my time wasn`t something to brag about. I don`t know how I`ll do in the Tour, but I`ll work really hard in the weeks that are left.
• DEIA: Do you think that the mountains will be more deciding that the ITTs in a Tour de France we`re expecting to be hard this year?
• Haimar: Both are important. If you hope to do well on GC in the Tour, you can`t afford the luxury of relaxing and loosing a lot of time in the time trials. It`s necessary to be consistent. But, yes, one bad day in the mountains and it can all be over for you.
• DEIA: You`ve raced less than other season before the Tour this year. Was it planned?
• Haimar: Yes, we`ve been taking it a bit more easy this year, hoping to find the form little by little. We`ve done so because, even though the Tour de France is important, the season doesn`t end there. We know that as a team we must also be going strong in September, for the Vuelta a España.
• DEIA: What are you hopes and ambitions for the Tour?
• Haimar: Like every year, it`s important for the team to have one rider in the top 10 and to win a stage.
• DEIA: Just with you?
• Haimar: No, not at all. I can be among the ten best ones, but we`ve also got Landaluze, Astarloza and Antón to look for stage wins. Those three were all riding strongly in the Dauphiné, and I`m sure that the rest of the riders who are going to the Tour will be just as strong, even though they`ve got less experience.
• DEIA: It`s the first time for you in the Tour without Iban Mayo by your side. Are you feeling more pressure than other years because of that?
• Haimar: When we had Iban, I didn`t feel that much pressure as Iban got most of it. But that doesn`t bother me.
• DEIA: Everyone is saying that Vinokourov is the man to beat in the Tour this year. Is he your favourite as well?
• Haimar: After what I saw of him in the Dauphiné, yes. He tested his form a couple of times and got away with to wins. And, when he wanted to take it a bit more easy, he just dropped back when he was sure his companions were OK.

I`m of the opinion that Haimar can rediscover his form of 2003, when he and Iban rocked the Alps and the Pyrenees. I thing something like a 7th place should be within his reach. Aupa Haimar!

Euskaltel bad in Suisse

Euskaltel had a day to forget in the Tour de Suisse today. On a mainly flat stage second stage, which ended in a predicted bunch-sprint, only 3 Euskaltel riders came in with the main pack. But, even worse, Tour-hopeful and designated sprinter Aitor Galdos had to drop out today . I don`t know why, but I`m afraid that means he won`t make the Tour team, as the Tour de Suisse was probably his last chance to impress Messrs Galdeano and Madariaga. Anyway, here`s how the remaining seven placed:

• 20th, Ibán Mayoz, 0:00
• 70th, Jon Bru, s.t
• 74th, Iván Velasco, s.t
• 152nd, Beñat Albizuri, 4:00
• 153rd, Antton Luengo, 4:00
• 163rd, Juanjo Oroz, 6:18
• 165th, Andoni Aranaga, 20:05

A mass pile-up occured inside the last km, and whether that`s the reason so many riders came in many minutes back, I don`t know. I don`t know if Euskaltel riders hit the deck or got injured either, but more on that later.

Mikel finishes Dauphiné 7th overall

The Dauphiné Libéré came to an end today, with Mikel Astarloza securing his 7th place overall. The stage itself did not result in any brilliant stage-placings, as Mikel was the best placed rider in 20th, closely followed by Haimar in 23rd and Igor in 28th. The stage did not turn out to be what I had hoped, as my expectations for the three aforementioned riders were high. And it seemed they had high expectations themselves. As Euskaltel didn`t have a man in the break, even though Rubén Pérez tried early on, they had to chase all day. They did so to great effect, as Gorka Verdugo and Iñigo almost singel-handedly neutralized the break with full control just at the start of the last, big climb. On the early slopes of the 1st cat. climb, Mikel and Haimar were at the very front. Though, they soon dropped backwards. Igor was no where to be seen, as he went right out the back of the leading group once the going got tough. But, still, they all rode heroically and got honourable placings. As I said, Mikel got an amazing 7th overall, something which is a good sign three weeks prior to the Tour. Haimar finished in 19th, something which also bodes well for his Tour plans. Igor finished back in 37th, and that in turn means Euskaltel got a nice 3rd in the team rankings. First, complete stage results:

• 20th, Mikel Astarloza, 1:39
• 23rd, Haimar Zubeldia, 1:39
• 28th, Igor Antón, 2:11
• 68th, Iñigo Landaluze, 11:10
• 81st, Gorka Verdugo, 11:10
• 112th, Rubén Pérez, 23:45
• 113th, Unai Uribarri, s.t
• 114th, Jorge Azanza, s.t

On GC, they placed:

• 7th, Mikel Astarloza, 5:00
• 19th, Haimar Zubeldia, 8:10
• 37th, Igor Antón, 24:58
• 55th, Gorka Verdugo, 37:04
• 58th, Iñigo Landaluze, 39:21
• 74th, Rubén Pérez, 54:43
• 102nd, Unai Uribarri, 1:24:52
• 109th, Jorge Azanza, 1:32:03

As Jorge finished 109th out of 114th, I`m afraid he can say adios to the Tour team now. But, luckily for him, he`s still young, so the time for this talented 24-year-old will no doubt come...

Mikel 6th in Dauphiné; 7th overall

Mikel Astarloza continues to show what a quality rider he is. Today, after infiltrating in the break of the day, and being virtuall leader for the most of the stage, he finished 6th, meaning he`s now 7th overall going into the last stage. A break of 11 got clear quite early in the stage, and though the break split up in several pieces, most of them arrived aheah of the "pack". On this occasion, the "pack" was Moreau. I sadly didn`t get to see the stage, but from what I`ve heard, Mikel attacked several times up the Télégraphe, but due to his good overall placing going in to the stage (18th), Astana put the pressure on back in the peloton and upped the pace. Sadly, Mikel spent his forces badly, and couldn`t keep up when Iglinsky, Di Grégorio, Fédrigo and Botcharov attacked. But he still fought on admirably to get 6th today, something which in turns mean he`s now a brilliant 7th overall. On the down side for Euskaltel today was the performances of Igor and Haimar. Haimar dropped from 10th to 18th overall, coming home more than 6 minutes adrift. Igor was closer to the leaders, but still lost 4:13 to Iglinsky, who won solo. There`s one more stage to go in this year`s Dauphiné, and I expect to see Euskaltel on the attack once more. They`ve had a terrific Dauphiné so far, and they surely deserve a stage-win for their efforts. Aupa Euskaltel!

• 6th, Mikel Astarloza, 2:16
• 20th, Igor Antón, 4:13
• 27th, Haimar Zubeldia, 6:30
• 59th, Rubén Pérez, 16:55
• 64th, Iñigo Landaluze, s.t
• 66th, Gorka Verdugo, s.t
• 70th, Unai Uribarri, 20:57
• 84th, Jorge Azanza, 27:09

Euskaltel off the pace in Suisse opener

Euskaltel was as usual way off the pace in a prologue. This time the prologue kick-started the Tour de Suisse, a prestigious Pro Tour stage-race. Best of the Euskaltel riders was Andoni Aranaga, who came in a respectable 55th, while Juanjo Oroz in 74th place was also an okay result. Not much more to say really, I only want to say that miracles do happen sometimes, so keep the faith. Perhaps one day an Euskaltel rider will win an ITT/prologue. Or not... Anyway, complete stage results:

• 55th, Andoni Aranaga, 0:19


• 74th, Juanjo Oroz, 0:21


• 116th, Iban Mayoz, 0:27


• 124th, Beñat Albizuri, 0:28


• 148th, Iván Velasco, 0:32


• 151st, Aitor Galdos, 0:32


• 156th, Jon Bru, 0:33


• 164th, Antton Luengo, 0:38

Rubén 11th in Dauphiné

Rubén Pérez was once again in the thick of the action in the Dauphiné Libéré. On today`s 5th stage, a 195 km trek destined for a successful break, Rubén placed 11th, after being part of a huge break that got away early. The 20+ group split in two with some 30 km to go and, unfortunately, Rubén ended up in the wrong part. But, still, 11th is good. After all, this is a Pro Tour race. With his 17th, 12th and 11th places so far in the Dauphiné, Rubén has no doubt justified his place on the Tour team. He seems to be in awesome form at the moment.

When it comes to the rest of the squad today, Haimar, Mikel, Gorka Verdugo and Iñigo came in with the main peloton 3:27 adrift. Though, a notable absentee was Igor Antón. Igor came home a massive 18:09 back. Why? I don`t know, but something tells me he`s saving his energy for tomorrow`s queen-stage. Watch out for him then... Complete results:

• 11th, Rubén Pérez, 1:08
• 38th, Haimar Zubeldia, 3:27
• 39th, Mikel Astarloza, s.t
• 56th, Iñigo Landaluze, s.t
• 63rd, Gorka Verdugo, s.t
• 98th, Jorge Azanza, 10:31
• 116th, Igor Antón, 18:09
• 123rd, Unai Uribarri, s.t