Blue shows up high in Worlds
25 September 2011

Movistar Team perform well in first-ever appearance at World Championships in Denmark, with a decent debut by Herrada in ITT -Kiryienka on top of telephone squad's performance- and sensational Pablo Lastras's breakaway in RR Movistar Team brought their best riders to the elite races in the World Championships road race and time trial, held on Wednesday and Sunday in Copenhagen and Rudersdal, where HighRoad's Tony Martin (GER) and Mark Cavendish (GBR) took the two coveted rainbow jersey. In the event dominated by the German -the 46k long, flat ITT in the Danish capital city-, the Blue squad was the WorldTour team with the most representatives, even though their riders were far behind the rest of the podium completed by Wiggins (GBR) and Cancellara (SUI). Belarusian Vasil Kiryienka was the best rider from Eusebio Unzué's team in 23th, with teammates Ignatas Konovalovas (28th), Carlos Oyarzun (34th) and Rui Costa (49th) defending the telephone squad's honour. The team's youngest member, Spaniard Jesús Herrada, did a progressive ITT to end up in 39th place in his elite debut.

Four days later, and with the additions by Imanol Erviti, José Joaquín Rojas and Pablo Lastras as part of the strong Spanish national team to substitute ITT-only performers Kiryienka and Herrada, Movistar Team took part from the 260k road race with six of their riders, in a course where the recent red jersey wearer in the Vuelta a España was a real protagonist. Lastras, escaping from lap 1 into the circuit with six other riders, did a crucial work to bring calmness to his team leader Óscar Freire, and left charge to his teammates contesting for the victory until the very end only into the three final laps, after showing his great class. Rui Costa, proving brave with his attack into the only real climb on lap 16 out 17, was Movistar Team’s best in 15th spot, in a race where Carlos Oyarzun stood no chance after being blocked out by a crash with six laps to go, the incident also leaving defending champion Thor Hushovd (NOR) out of sight.