First of all thank you for the invitation to the Basque series. I'm really looking forward to it and hope for a good result.
Secondly, with the calendar announced, what races do you want me to ride? I see we have a lot of classics on our planner, which I like of course. I feel there's something left in legs for the final season part, so don't skip on the races. Aside from the classics, I'd like to do the Eneco Tour as well. The time trial eliminates my GC hopes, but there's a few stages I could like!
Thirdly, I know it's going to be close for the rankings, so I hope I can give us the extra ponts we need in the final part of the season. I've been training to get some more depth in my effords. I really want my first win this season part!
You're welcome. we hope that you and youre countrymen will help to show the world that a lot of people are still struggling for independence.
Of course you are signed up for Eneco tour. Not the hardest earned spot for you either as a lot of our Basque riders aren't really stoked about that one...
Anyway here's the list of rces we currently have planned for you:
Clásica San Sebastian
Eneco Tour
Tre Valli Varesine
Vattenfall Classic
GP Plouay
Paris - Bruxelles
GP Fourmies
GP de Quebec
GP de Montreal
GP Wallonie
Giro del Piemonte
Tour de Vendee
Giro della Emilia
Paris - Tours
Japan Cup
In case you drop by Cristiano here is what we have down for you:
Tour de Pologne
Tre Valli Varesine
Milano - Torino
Giro della Emilia
Please let us know if any of you have big objections, just bear in mind that the only riders not on their maximum allowed race days are the two Germans so there's not much room to rebould things...
Thanks, it looks great. Good to ride a few races with Cristiano as well. One request though, I would prefer Lombardia over Vendee, if possible. I'd like to finish all 5 monuments this year.
Regarding Lombardia/Vendee I would really prefer sending you to France as we have no replacement leader if you don't go. Also we suspect that the climbs of Lombardia is stilla bit too hard for you so we'd rather send you to a race where you have a chance for a big result than use you as a domestique.
July was very quiet for us as we only raced one single day, namely 2 times over Alpe d’Huez in the EHST. A magnificent race where Cristiano de las Campos took the win ahead of Nieve while Intxausti expanded his lead in the overall classification.
We have also done a lot of training where Verboven, Bravo and Lobato have generally built on their physique, while JJ also have improved his sprint following his NC win last month. Ion and Cristiano have improved on short climbs and Nieve have improved on the longer climbs.
Things have also changed in the Euskal Herria Segida Txalpelkatan where we some time ago announced three new teams, which can now be published:
Catalunya
Spoiler
Name
Team
Born
Avg
A.Losada
Katusha Team
28-02-1982
73
J.RodrÃguez
Katusha Team
12-05-1979
81
X.Florencio
Katusha Team
26-12-1979
73
E.Prades
OFM - Quinta da Lixa
09-08-1987
67
D.De la Cruz
Team NetApp - Endura
06-05-1989
71
D.Lozano
Team Novo Nordisk
21-12-1988
64
J.A.Flecha
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
17-09-1977
77
Scotland
Spoiler
Name
Team
Born
Avg
D.Lines
Commonwealth games 2010
01-02-1978
64
R.Creber
Commonwealth games 2010
08-07-1988
64
D.Millar
Garmin - Sharp
04-01-1977
74
J.Pullar
Madison Genesis
15-11-1989
64,19999695
A.Fenn
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step
01-07-1990
74
J.McCallum
Rapha Condor - JLT
27-04-1979
68
R.Edgar
Team IG - Sigma Sport
03-01-1983
71
E.Oliphant
Team Raleigh
08-01-1982
70
Vlaanderen
Spoiler
Name
Team
Born
Avg
K.Seeldraeyers
Astana Pro Team
12-09-1986
71
S.Vanmarcke
Belkin Pro Cycling Team
28-07-1988
77
G.Van Avermaet
BMC Racing Team
17-05-1985
77
K.Lodewyck
BMC Racing Team
24-03-1988
72
Y.Eijssen
BMC Racing Team
26-06-1989
69
R.Verboven
Euskaltel - Euskadi
02-11-1991
70
T.Wellens
Lotto Belisol
05-10-1991
71
J.Debusschere
Lotto Belisol
28-08-1989
74
B.De Clercq
Lotto Belisol
26-08-1986
73
The more strict selection regime means that the Aquitaine riders have been reduced to only include riders from French Basque (Iparralda). There is a small window open for riders previously racing to motivate a request to join the team, but for now it only counts Sicard and Cazaux.
Riders not mentioned did not race this month. Full rankings can be found in post #2
Rider of the Month
With one race deciding it all it was an easy one:
Cristiano de las Campos
Coming Up
Tour de France where Nieve will lead a team chasing stage wins with Sicard hoping to show the French NC-jersey as much as possible.
After that we are very much looking forward to Clásica San Sebástian where we will be sending our strongst linup possible in order to make a big imprent on our home classic.
Something Basque
The biggest Basque classic is around the corner so we will have a closer look at its history.
The first edition was raced in 1981 and even though the route have changed over the years both the finish in San Sebastian on the coast and the tough climb up Jaizkebel have been consistent parts of the route with Jaizkebel usually being used twice acting as a decisive part of the race.
Basque riders have a proud history here with Marino Lejarreta taking the win in the first two additions and again in 1987 making him the only rider with three wins.
Iñaki Gaston Crespo brought us another Basque win in 1986, and the Navarra legend Miguel Indorain made it 5 wins in 10 years by winning in 1990. Sadly enough that is where the luck stopped and 5 wins in the first 10 editions but none since makes Basque success on home course a bit more historical than could be wished.
Hopefully that will change and with the first race of the Basque series where Antón took the win for us makes us optimistic that Euskaltel – Euskadi will get our first win and the first Basque win since the team was established.
Skipping the Tour, I found the time to do some training. I do feel a lot stronger overall, after an intense week in Basque country. I went over 250km a few times, so my endurance has definitely improved. Day in day out in the saddle also proved I'm able to recover better. Not that I'll ever be a stage racer, but still. I've also worked on my speed. Since I got beaten in a sprint too often lately, I wanted a bit more starting speed and some more acceleration. Let's hope it's enough to finaly get that win in the last part of the season.
I kinda like my schedule, no Lombardia but I can live with that. Other than that, it's all classics and my home race, Eneco Tour. I can really say which race I'm mostly looking forward too, but I do hope for a few good results. The team really needs them, looking at the rankings. I really hope to stay in the WT next year, but the team has been so good for me, I'm willing to stay with them even if we go down to the CT. But I'll do everything I can to stop that from happening!
Hopefully the other guys with kick it up a notch as well, the jerseys are really nice, but we lacked some other results. Of course I'm happy to be the most efficient rider in the previous season part, but other guys need to start earning points as well if we want to stay in the World Tour. Everyone is focused on the goals, so I think we can do this. Now some more training, and then we have San Sebastian, a very important race for the team!
We are happy to see your improved overall strength. Afterall finishing in the front group with a bit of energy left is the first step towards your first win.
I know the lack of Lombardia might be disappointing, but as you say yourself we need to scrape together every point we can to extend our stay in the WT. You should feel honoured about the inclusion in the San Sebastian squad as this is the biggest classic all year for us.
That also brings us to the next step: Your contract.
Obviously we would love to keep you on the team, especially if we avoid relegation.
However if we end up relegating we might be forced to have a different strategy next year.
We are unsure if we will be allowed to continue with 30 riders on the team and depending on a number of things we might have to consider staying away from cobbles completely, which would not be fair with you on the team.
So to put it short: Keeping you will be a major priority of we stay on the WT. We have a couple of names on our shortlist to bolster our cobbled squad and we would be very interested if you have any suggestions for an unemployed Flemish rider to share race program with you. Before the relegation is avoided for certain it is hard for us to promise you the races you deserve though.
I hope you are able to wait for a definitive answer until we know if we can provide you with the races you deserve for your development. After all we haven't really got teh history to expect wildcards for the big cobbled classics...
Thanks you for thinking of me for next year, as I said in my blog, I really would like to stay in the team, World Tour or not. I've received a lot of support in my first year and I haven't forgotten that. I feel it as an honour to be a part of this team, well, maybe Euskaltel is even more then just a team.
I promise to work hard next winter to improve my cobble skills, as that is still the achilles heel of the team. However, as you indicate yourself, it would help if there's 2-3 riders that can stay with me until the final, so that I won't have to fetch my own bottles when I need to be at the front of the peloton. It's not a demand, more of a request, but still, I'd really like a few cobblers with me, rather then the 7 guys you punished for whatever reason.
I can understand you want to prioritise in Basque Country, but should you not find an adequate cobbler there, the Belgian and Dutch teams usualy have more cobblers then they need. That, with a similar racing schedule as this year (assuming we stay in the World Tour), would make a deal very likely.
With the Tour currently in the phase where we lose time to make breaks more likely we might as well adress another big issue in the world of cycling currently: Transfers.
As announced when the new management arrived we want to get more back to our roots focusing on Basque riders, but with additions from other independence-seeking regions.
However the current rankings does pose some limitations as we are part of the relegation battle. Thankfully we have a lot of races with chances to score points coming up and everyone on the team is motivated to help us stay in the WT. The battle looks to be between us, Argos and Orica for two spots.
Some Will Leave
The national focus obviously means that 7 riders will most likely have to find somewhere else to ride. Some will be outright sacked and some could be involved with some trading for local riders.
To help potentially interested managers we'll just give you a quick run-down of the 7.
The two Germans Radochla (34) and Schulze (38) are getting old, but have proven throughout the season that not all old German cyclists have the tenacity of Jens Voigt. They have been comlete and utter shite and they only get to race because we have to pay their wages and they can quite often pick up some bottles within the first quarter of a stage/race. Any team manager would be mad to sign any of them...
Our Slovenian duo Kocjan (28) and Vrecer (32) is quite another story. They have both ridden some and it really is down to bad luck that Vrecer haven't got any points to his name yet. Both could be very good signing for CT-teams looking to bolster the squad on climbs (Vrecer) and in sprint trains (Kocjan).
Double Greek champion Ioannis Tamouridis (32) raised a few eyebrows when he fought his way to a great 8th place in Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne proving that he could be a good addition to many teams. He has also been an important part of our TTT-squad which have even achieved a couple of top 10's this year! A good rider with no big weaknesses and a good pick for any team with lacking TTT's or in need of a guy to pull on the lfat or go in breakaways. His decent sprint could even make him a worthwile part of a sprint train.
Another double NC is Tarik Chaoufi (26). This youngster have proven a strog attacking spirit by taking part in several breaks throughout the season and can be recommended to any team, that feels in need of spicing up their roster without getting out the big wallet. When not in teh break he have been a valued team mate.
Ricardo Mestre (29) have been close to invisible for the public, but his ability to handle hills fairly well have made him a good worker for us. In another team with fewer attackers I'd imagine him finding his way into a good few breaks as well. We just have too many riders aiming for that for him to really have gotten to show his skills on our team.
If someone feels their team lacks a bit of Basque we have a lot of young climbers/punchers whos future we are willing to discuss on the right conditions. They are all welcome to stay though.
Some Will Stay
Again relegation might challenge us heer, but we are determined to stay in the WT allowing us to keep our profiles.
We feel close to signing an agreement with Verboven, but nothing is definitive yet as we want to make sure we can provide him with the chances he deserves next year as well.
Another rider we will need to talk to is Cristiano de las Campos. A so talented local climber will always have a spot on our team should he want it. We have a contract draft ready guarenteeing a GT-particpation at least. if we avoid relegation it will be in a free/leading role similar to this years Giro.
Some Will Join
We are determined to strengthen the team fro next season. If you are interested in the brutto shortlist just have a look at the startlist for EHST.
That being said we obviously have some names on top of the list...
We have had informal talks with teh RadioShack management regarding a possible return to us for Zubeldia and I hope these talks will turn in to fruitful negotiations in the future.
The Movistar management should also expect to hear from us closer to the seasons end with them having several riders of interest to us...
We would also like to publicly announce our desire to sign Egoitz GarcÃa from Cofidis as he is more or less the only Basque capable of riding cobbles without feeling it like a punishment. and we need some decent cobblers - especially if we stay in the WT.
The last name we would like to mention will most likely only get possible if we relegate or Cristiano decides to leave. Not that he is not interesting anyway but the UCI have imposed some limits to the number of EPIC contract we are allowed to make. The guy we talk about is obviously the boy behind the most gorgous moustache in the peloton namely Gorka Nieve.
Anyway for now focus will be on our current riders and getting them to score enough points to ensure another year at top level.
A big day for me today, as I just signed my new contract at Euskaltel - Euskadi. The first year here was great and I felt the manager was really commited to giving me all the chances I need in the classics next year. So I said to myself last night, why wait?
This morning I took the bike to the Team HQ (as I was in Basque Country anyway) and we got the contract done fairly quick. An extra year with options for more. I'm confident the manager will find the necessary riders to strengthen our cobbles squad, and I don't even mind should we have some horrible luck and go down to the Continental Tour.
But I'm pretty convinced that that is not going to happen. My motivation is doubled now. I will get a win this season and the team will stay in the World Tour!
The Rider wrote:
Interesting read, would be good to know if any of the 'bigger' names are leaving Euskaltel - Euskadi.
Zubeldia may be making his way out, best wait for RadioShack's transfer talks for that though.
Thanks. We hope to keep our big names, but nothing except Verboven is 100 % certain yet. The right transfer deal could make someone move, but we are happy to keep everyone not mentioned above
Long time no see. After finishing the Tour de Suisse, where I finished 10th overall, I went on a short holiday to recharge for the final few races of the season. I won't race a lot anymore, after an already demanding season, but I hope to do well in Poland.
I am also glad to announce that I will be riding for Euskaltel - Euskadi next season. The negotiations for my new contract were really easy, as both sides were happy to continue with each other.
The next edition of the race will be a journey from Irun to San Sebastian going over three big climbs and a number of small ones.
The new teams look strong among the favourites with a number of strong Flandrians on a route like this as well as RodrÃguez. With a finale like this it will be hard to control the race though and the Basque riders will be determined to show themselves in their home race series with the usual bunch expected to shine. You know them pretty well by now so I won’t go into details with them…
Lana is first over the top and Pello Bilbao leads the peloton over 5’23 later.
Fernández is putting in a great effort today, perhaps riding for next years contract.
When the peloton reaches the top of Alto de Uitzi they have reduced the gap to 4’50. Looks like they have things under control.
70 km to go and the gap gets 4 minutes.
60 km and 3’24
50 km and 2’53
With all the big teams contributing to the chase it looks hard for the break.
Beñat Intxausti is the first to move among the favourites already on the small descent before Andazarate.
RodrÃguez follows him but the Euskaltels and Movistar quickly closes them down. There is no leniency towards the new boy today!
The peloton hits ascent 2’30 after the break.
When the uphill section begins its Ion Izagirre who attacks. Again followed by RodrÃguez.
This time the gap is made with Bakelandts just managing to tag along.
Vlaanderen reacts too late and tries to bridge the gap with a two-pronged attack formed by Verboven and Van Avermaet.
The favourites catch the break just before the summit and Purito is the first to cross followed by Bakelandts, Ion Izagirre and Intxausti who all seem very aware.
Bad luck for Bakelandts as he crashes on the wet descent.
At least he gets back up just in time to join the chasing group led by Mikel Nieve and Verboven.
With 30 km to go he front trio has a gap of 1’30.
Izagirre and Intxausti won’t help the Catalan favourite so he tries to go solo!
He gets a gap as the two others can’t seem to work together to reel him in.
Izagirre attacks, Intxausti follows
Intxausti attacks, Izagirre follows
Izagirre attacks, Intxausti follows
Intxausti attacks, Izagirre follows
Izagirre attacks, Intxausti cracks!
With 16 km to go everything is still open as Ion have gotten rid of Beñat and is gaining time on RodrÃguez while the 11 chasers are also gaining time on everyone ahead.
Bakelandts attacks out of the chasers and goes past Intxausti with 14 km to go. Verboven tries to copy his feat.
Meanwhile Izagirre has found his way up to RodrÃguez and at the 10 km mark Bakelandts makes it a front trio.
Half a minute further back Intxausti have been joined by Verboven and Nieve, who in turn has 1’38’’ to the rest of the chasers.
The two front groups melt together with 8 km to go putting Verboven in the favourites seat.
RodrÃguez opens the sprint from far out.
Izagirre passes him under the red flame with Verboven in his back wheel.
Usually they’re team mates but today it’s a fierce battle towards the line!
Ion have looked immensely strong today and manages to keep the fast Flandrian behind taking his first EHST win!
Repeated attacking while avoiding to go over his limits just wore the others out.
Fernández outpowers McCallum and Rollin in the sprint for 7th place.
De Clerq solos to 15th place ahead of Flecha, Gorka Izagirre, Antón and Van Avermaet.
The SagastÃn award goes to Izagirre for th way his repeated attacks formed the race and left everyone else too tired to sprint.
Honourable mention goes to Bakelandts for the way he fought his way back after the crash.
Tour de France
Vuelta a España
