Vuelta 8 : Egoi in gold !!!!!

Not Iban Mayo, Haimar Zubeldia, Mikel Astarloza, Igor Anton nor Samuel Sanchez but Egoi Martinez wrote Euskaltel history by grabbing the main jersey in a big tour. Egoi Martinez and Alan Perez got in the early break of the day and luckily the peloton gave them a free pass to the finish. Alan and Egoi did everything they could to get the gap with the peloton as big as peloton and they succeeded. Now Egoi is shining in gold and Igor is still in 7th position overall. Euskaltel rose to the 3th place in the team classification.


Results
1 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) Silence - Lotto 4.57.22 (40.52km/h)
2 Davide Rebellin (Ita) Gerolsteiner
3 Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Rabobank
...
10. Egoi Martinez ST
12. Alan Perez +0:52
35. Igor Anton +6:42
52. Mikel Astarloza +6:42
56. Ruben Perez +6:42
73. Amets Txurruka +6:42
77. Ivan Velasco +6:42
101. Iñigo Landaluze +6:42
148. Koldo Fernandez +7:12

General Rank
1 Egoi Martinez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 33.23.56
2 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana 0.11
3 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana 0.32
...
7. Igor Anton +2:23
42. Amets Txurruka +21:40
54. Mikel Astarloza +28:21
65. Ivan Velasco +34:12
70. Ruben Perez +36:39
73. Iñigo Landaluze +39:37
91. Alan Perez +47:37
111. Koldo Fernandez +57:26

Vuelta 7 : Anton 4th and 6th in general

Igor Anton did an amazing job in the second mountain stage of the Vuelta. There was no Euskaltel rider in the attack today, but they made the pace in the peloton with a very good Amets Txurruka. At the end the favourites took over and Anton was the only one who could follow Alejandro Valverde and Alberto Contador. Sadly David Moncoutié, from the early break, was still in front and the three couldn't compete for the victory. Anton did everything to get some more seconds so in the sprint he became 4th. With this very good result, he's now 6th.

Result
1 David Moncoutié (Fra) Cofidis 4.24.58 (34.19km/h)
2 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 0.34
3 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana
...
4. Igor Anton +0:34
25. Amets Txurruka +2:55
27. Egoi Martinez +2:55
70. Mikel Astarloza +11:43
74. Ruben Perez +11:43
75. Ivan Velasco +11:43
98. Alan Perez +19:00
135. Iñigo Landaluze +23:15
138. Koldo Fernandez +23:15

General Rank
1 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana 28.20.03
2 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana 0.21
3 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 0.49
...
6. Igor Anton +2:12
16. Egoi Martinez +6:41
42. Amets Txurruka +21:29
55. Mikel Astarloza +28:10
66. Ivan Velasco +34:01
71. Ruben Perez +36:28
74. Iñigo Landaluze +39:26
105. Alan Perez +53:18
112. Koldo Fernandez +56:45

Vatenfall Cyclassics : Juanjo 21th

Euskaltel couldn't put a stamp on this year's Vatenfall Cyclassics. They didn't participate in the race and at the end when it came down to a sprint, there was no real sprinter to place himself good. Juanjo Oroz tried but he finished on an ok 21th place. Lander Aperribay and Jorge Azanza didn't finish the race.

Results
1. Robbie McEwen Silence-Lotto 04:37:46
2. Mark Renshaw Credit Agricole ST
3. Allan Davis ST
...
21. Juan Jose Oroz ST
35. Haimar Zubeldia ST
39. Markel Irizar ST
59. Jon Bru +2:17
80. Iñaki Isasi +6:54
97. Aitor Hernandez +11:16

Vuelta 6 : Landaluze attacks, Anton 6th

Euskaltel was very active in the 6th stage of the Vuelta. Iñigo Landaluze was in the right attack together with eventual winner Ballan, but he couldn't keep up with his pace. Ballan finished solo with 3 minutes advantage of the GC contenders. Anton was the first Euskaltel to finish on a very good 6th place, only losing a few seconds on Mosquera and Contador. It became clear that Mikel Astarloza isn't competing for the GC anymore, cause he finished 65th.

Results
1 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre 6.15.51
2 Ezequiel Mosquera Miguez (Spa) Xacobeo Galicia 2.42
3 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana 2.45
...
6. Igor Anton +2:50
21. Egoi Martinez +3:48
40. Amets Txurruka +9:37
46. Iñigo Landaluze +9:59
65. Mikel Astarloza +17:12
66. Ruben Perez +17:12
67. Ivan Velasco +17:12
106. Alan Perez +29:55
122. Koldo Fernandez +29:55

General Rank
1 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre 23.53.26
2 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana 1.00
3 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Cofidis 1.21
...
9. Igor Anton +3:17
18. Egoi Martinez +5:25
52. Iñigo Landaluze +17:50
53. Mikel Astarloza +18:06
60. Amets Txurruka +20:13
72. Ivan Velasco +23:57
81. Ruben Perez +26:24
99. Koldo Fernandez +35:09
100. Alan Perez +35:57

Germany 8TT : Aitor 14th, Markel 17th

Euskaltel did a pretty good job in the closing time trial of the Deutschland Tour. Aitor Hernandez and Markel Irizar both performed well, placing themselves on a 14th and 17th spot. Haimar Zubeldia disappointed a bit and couldn't put down a good time. He finihed 29th and dropped a place in the general rank to 11.

Results
1. Tony Martin Team Columbia 39:49
2. Bert Grabsch Team Columbia +0:34
3. Gustav Larsson Team CSC +0:48
...
14. Aitor Hernandez +2:56
17. Markel Irizar +3:05
29. Haimar Zubeldia +3:52
68. Iñaki Isasi +5:17
85. Jorge Azanza +6:05
87. Lander Aperribay +6:11
95. Juan Jose Oroz +6:39
110. Jon Bru +9:37

General Rank
1. Linus Gerdemann Team Columbia 33:25:18
2. Thomas Lövkvist Team Columbia +0:52
3. Janez Brajkovic Astana +3:06
...
11. Haimar Zubeldia +5:15
27. Iñaki Isasi +11:50
29. Jorge Azanza +12:33
34. Markel Irizar +15:24
40. Juan Jose Oroz +18:10
74. Aitor Hernandez +41:59
95. Jon Bru +54:25
96. Lander Aperribay +54:29

Germany 7 : Jorge in the attack & 8th

In the Tour of Germany the 6th stage had the same scenario as the 5th one. A small group left in the beginning of the race and the peloton miscalculated so that they could sprint for the victory. Just like Jon yesterday, Jorge Azanza was present in that early breakaway. At the end he couldn't really compete for the stage victory, so I was a bit disappointed that he didn't try something in the last kilometres. Haimar managed to keep the 10th spot in the general rank and with tomorrows time trial he should be able to raise some spots.

Results
1 Stéphane Augé (Fra) Cofidis 4.45.33 (44.965 km/h)
2 Thierry Hupond (Fra) Skil-Shimano
3 Mauro Da Dalto (Ita) Liquigas
...
8. Jorge Azanza ST
42. Juan Jose Oroz +3:54
56. Haimar Zubeldia +3:54
59. Iñaki Isasi +3:54
65. Markel Irizar +3:54
77. Lander Aperribay +3:54
83. Aitor Hernandez +3:54
90. Jon Bru +3:54

Vuelta 5 : Anton 21th

It was a quiet day for Euskaltel in the 5th stage of the Vuelta. No one got in the break of the day and at the end, there was a small climb that made the stage perfect for classic-racers and we don't really have that. Bettini won and Igor Anton finished 21th. He's still 11th in the general rank, Mikel fell a bit down to 22th. In the team classification Euskaltel dropped to 10th and Egoi lost the combinada.

Results
1 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Quick Step 3.19.28 (45.150 km/h)
2 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Française des Jeux
3 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
...
21. Igor Anton +0:06
30. Egoi Martinez +0:06
40. Ivan Velasco +0:06
72. Mikel Astarloza +0:24
74. Koldo Fernandez +0:24
89. Ruben Perez +0:32
108. Amets Txurruka +1:51
140. Iñigo Landaluze +4:00
142. Alan Perez +4:00

Germany 6 : Bru in the attack & 7th

In the Deutschland Tour something unusual happened. A break of the day actually managed to stay away and luckily someone from Euskaltel, Jon Bru, was present. Maybe Jon felt that he needed something to say goodbye for the years with Euskaltel because he rode a good race. Although when it came down to the sprint I thought he would be able to at least compete for a podium spot or something but he became seventh. Nothing happened in the general ranking so Haimar's still 10th.

Results
1 Jussi Veikkanen (Fin) Française des Jeux 4.17.22 (44.0150 km/h)
2 Maxim Iglinsky (Kaz) Astana
3 Thierry Hupond (Fra) Skil-Shimano
...
7. Jon Bru ST
35. Haimar Zubeldia +2:00
47. Jorge Azanza +2:07
51. Aitor Hernandez +2:07
53. Iñaki Isasi +2:07
57. Lander Aperribay +2:07
58. Markel Irizar +2:07
113. Juan Jose Oroz +2:07

Vuelta 4 TT : Igor 12th in general

The Euskaltel guys did an ok job in the first time trial of the Tour of Spain. Especially Igor Anton did better than expected and was able to capture a 38th spot, only 2:35 on winner Levi Leipheimer. Considering his known time trial skills, I think this is hopefull for the rest of the Vuelta. Mikel disappointed a bit with a 37th spot, but I think he's already over his top. With the good result of Anton, he's still 12th in the general rank.

Results
1 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana 50.57 (50.049 km/h)
2 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Cofidis 0.12
3 Manuel Quinziato (Ita) Liquigas 0.33
...
37. Mikel Astarloza +2:32
38. Igor Anton +2:35
56. Ruben Perez +3:10
76. Egoi Martinez +3:39
83. Alan Perez +3:54
84. Amets Txurruka +3:59
117. Iñigo Landaluze +5:24
149. Koldo Fernandez +6:40
158. Ivan Velasco +7:31

Germany 5 : Haimar 10th

The fifth stage of the Tour of Germany was a mountainous race, but at the end it came down to something close to a sprint with a real sprinter, Gerald Ciolek, as the winner. For Euskaltel, Markel Irizar tried to attack when the break of the day was reeled back in, but he didn't succeed. In the sprint Iñaki Isasi once again disappointed with a 16th place. Juan Jose Oroz placed himself ok 17th. Haimar finished 24 seconds down but still raised a spot in the general rank and is now 10th.

Results
1 Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Team Columbia 5.39.35 (38.517 km/h)
2 Rubens Bertogliati (Swi) Scott - American Beef
3 Leonardo Bertagnolli (Ita) Liquigas
...
16. Iñaki Isasi ST
17. Juan Jose Oroz ST
30. Haimar Zubeldia +0:24
38. Jorge Azanza +0:58
44. Markel Irizar +1:33
77. Lander Aperribay +20:37
83. Aitor Hernandez +20:37
107. Jon Bru +20:44

Vuelta 3 : Koldo 3rd, Anton 5th in general

In the third stage of the Vuelta d'España the race was coloured by one man, José Antonio Lopez Gil. He went in the attack but didn't succeed. For Euskaltel everything came down on the sprint with Koldo. This time he was placed well, but at the end he couldn't accelerate like Bennati and Boonen, probably because he doesn't have a sprint train like the others and has to do his own preparations (although he got some help from another strong Euskaltel man, Alan Perez I think).

Just before the three kilometres there was a big crash and all the favourites lost some time. Igor Anton managed to keep that lost time between 7 seconds and jumped a few spots all the way till spot 5. Euskaltel is still second in the team classification, Egoi doesn't have the combinada anymore, because of a strong performance of Bettini.

Results
1 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Liquigas 4.27.54 (38.14 km/h)
2 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step
3 Koldo Fernandez De Larrea (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
...
19. Alan Perez +0:07
21. Igor Anton +0:07
28. Ruben Perez +0:16
30. Amets Txurruka +0:19
31. Egoi Martinez +0:19
37. Mikel Astarloza +0:19
68. Iñigo Landaluze +0:42
78. Ivan Velasco +0:42

General Rank
1 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Liquigas 13.23.57
2 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step 0.22
3 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 0.48
...
5. Igor Anton +0:59
10. Egoi Martinez +1:05
16. Mikel Astarloza +1:11
21. Koldo Fernandez +1:13
27. Alan Perez +1:21
32. Iñigo Landaluze +1:32
77. Ivan Velasco +2:21
107. Amets Txurruka +7:59
109. Ruben Perez +8:33

Germany 4 : Haimar still 11th

The Euskaltel team in the Tour of Germany took another day off in the fourth stage. No one got in the early break and no one really tried in the sprint. First to finish was Iñaki Isasi on a 26th place. I find this results quite upsetting cause it shows that Isasi doesn't have the sprinting skills anymore, cause normally he would easily place himself in the top 10/20 here. Haimar is still 11th in the general rank and since this is his last race for Euskaltel, he's eager for a good result and he even mentioned a win.

Results
1. André Greiper Team Columbia 03:59:37
2. Robbie McEwen Silence-Lotto ST
3. Robert Förster Gerolsteiner ST
...
26. Iñaki Isasi ST
39. Haimar Zubeldia ST
47. Juan Jose Oroz ST
57. Markel Irizar ST
77. Aitor Hernandez ST
88. Jorge Azanza ST
108. Jon Bru ST
116. Lander Aperribay ST

Vuelta 2 : Koldo 4th, Egoi Combinada

The second stage of the Vuelta came down to the predicted sprint. There Koldo planted himself between the best sprinters and became fourth, after Boonen, Bennati and Zabel. I'm sure he will get some other opportunities to improve that result and maybe even win a stage. In the general rank Euskaltel has now 4 men in the top 11 and is second in the teams classification. Egoi Martinez is, after his great first stage, leading the combination classification. Oddly Amets once again lost time, this time 6 minutes, I really have no clue how this can happen.

Results
1 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step 4.25.24 (38.12km/h)
2 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Liquigas
3 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram
...
4. Koldo Fernandez ST
52. Alan Perez ST
54. Igor Anton ST
58. Egoi Martinez ST
71. Mikel Astarloza ST
72. Iñigo Landaluze ST
73. Ivan Velasco ST
110. Amets Txurruka +5:53
115. Ruben Perez +7:25

General Rank
1 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Liquigas 8.56.27
2 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 0.07
3 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step 0.10
...
5. Egoi Martinez +0:22
7. Iñigo Landaluze +0:26
10. Igor Anton +0:28
11. Mikel Astarloza +0:28
81. Alan Perez +0:50
84. Koldo Fernandez +0:57
89. Ivan Velasco +1:15
109. Amets Txurruka +7:16
111. Ruben Perez +7:53

Germany 3 : Haimar 19th

Once again there wasn't much basque orange to see in the Deutschland Tour. The third stage was on schedule and Euskaltel didn't really participate in the race. At the finish, it went between the general rank contenders and Haimar could place himself 19th. Thanks to this result, his now 11th in the general rank.

Results
1. Leonardo Bertagnolli Liquigas 5:20:34
2. Rigoberto Uran Caisse d'Epargne ST
3. Thomas Lövkvist Team Columbia ST
...
19. Haimar Zubeldia ST
33. Juan Jose Oroz +0:45
38. Iñaki Isasi +0:45
58. Aitor Hernandez +3:41
77. Markel Irizar +4:16
85. Jorge Azanza +4:16
143. Jon Bru +12:00
144. Lander Aperribay +12:00

General Rank
1. Linus Gerdemann Team Columbia 13:56:11
2. Thomas Lövkvist Team Columbia +0:17
3. Janez Brajkovic Astana +0:20
...
11. Haimar Zubeldia +2:16
31. Iñaki Isasi +7:43
47. Jorge Azanza +10:34
53. Markel Irizar +11:56
56. Juan Jose Oroz +12:41
80. Aitor Hernandez +19:36
102. Jon Bru +27:21
113. Lander Aperribay +28:51

Gorka extends, Bru and Galparsoro away

First of all some good news. Gorka Verdugo has extended his contract with Euskaltel till 2010. After his great performances in Valenciana, Paris-Nice and Catalunya and of course the Tour where he did great things for Samuel, he assured himself of a limited place in the for next year. Unlike Verdugo, Jon Bru and Dioni Galparsoro weren't able to impress the staff of Euskaltel and they will have to leave Euskaltel next year. This was announced by Madariage against biciciclismo.